A Bridge Between Two Worlds
by Bananas and Talon
Summary: Its 7th year & James is finally deflating his head. But is Lily ready to give him a chance? Is Petunia's hate for the wizarding world due to a broken heart? A family visiting week unites two different worlds in a tale of bizzare romance and twists.
1. Back to Hogwarts

Chapter One: Return to Hogwarts  
  
Lily Evans stood beside her luggage cart on Platform 9 ¾, deep in conversation with her parents. Her older sister, Petunia, had her arms crossed, looking thoroughly disgusted at the scene before her. A flash of jealousy went through her as she watched her parents looking at Lily with pride, unable to remember the last time they had looked at her that way.  
  
"See that group of boys over there, Mum? They call themselves the Marauders. They're the most troublesome, thick-headed gits in school!" Lily declared, pointing at a group of four boys across the platform. Petunia craned her long neck, trying to get a better glimpse of the boys.  
  
"Surely they can't be that bad?" Mrs. Evans laughed.  
  
"The only decent one is the boy with blond hair, Remus Lupin." Lily replied. Petunia caught sight of a handsome boy with black hair and glasses. Her stomach fluttered and she suddenly felt faint as she watched the boy laugh with his friends. Unable to control herself, she turned to Lily.  
  
"Who's the bloke with black hair and glasses?" she asked as casually as she could. Her parents and sister looked at her in surprise. Petunia had not said a word since they came to Kingscross Station. In fact, for the past seven years, Petunia never spoke a word when they came to drop Lily off each September. She made it very clear that the wizard world disgusted her, and came only on her parents' orders.  
  
"That's James Potter." Lily finally said, with a tone of utmost dislike in her voice. "He's the stupidest, thickest one of them all. You'll never meet anyone who loves himself as much as that boy does.  
  
Petunia felt light-headed as she watched the four boys walking towards them. James looked even more handsome up close. She watched in awe as James tossed a small ball high into the air and caught it behind his back effortlessly. As the boys walked past, James flashed Lily a cocky smile. Petunia, thinking it was for her, grinned with glee and felt as if she were melting. Lily rolled her eyes at James, and turned back to her parents.  
  
"I guess I should get going then," she said. Mrs. Evans nodded and hugged her daughter tightly.  
  
"Have a lovely time, dear! After all, it's your seventh year!" she said.  
  
"Yes, do have fun! You make us so proud, Lily." Mr. Evans smiled, kissing his daughter on the forehead. Lily turned to Petunia.  
  
"Well, see you then," she said awkwardly. She and her sister hadn't gotten along ever since Lily had found out that she was a witch. Petunia looked at her sister for a few moments.  
  
"Bye," she said quietly. Then she directed her attention back to James and the Marauders. Lily said goodbye to her parents one last time, then pushed her cart towards the Hogwarts Express.  
***  
  
"SIRIUS!" James Potter bellowed, leaning against his trunk. Sirius Black turned his head away from the blond Hufflepuff girl he was flirting with, and looked at his best friend.  
  
"What's up Prongs?" he shouted back.  
  
"Come here!" James yelled. Sirius gave the Hufflepuff an apologetic, charming smile.  
  
"I'll see you at Hogwarts," he winked. He kissed her hand, and walked back to the Marauders.  
  
"Ooh did you manage to make her fall for you?" Peter Pettigrew asked eagerly, his round face shining.  
  
"I was about to, before this idiot called me over." Sirius joked, clapping his hand on James's shoulder.  
  
"Sorry Padfoot. But look who's here." James said, nodding at a boy with greasy black hair standing several feet away. Sirius's eyes lit up.  
  
"Snivelly," he snickered. Remus Lupin shook his head wearily.  
  
"School hasn't even started, and you guys are at it already," he said. James and Sirius ignored his comment and walked over to Snape, with Peter on their tail.  
  
"Snivelly! How was your summer, old chap?" Sirius said loudly, coming up behind Snape. Snape jumped and whirled around to face James and Sirius.  
  
"I see you haven't quite managed a bath yet. Your hair is still as oily as it was before summer holidays." James said, ruffling his own hair proudly. Snape glared at James, his hand reaching for his wand. Sirius swiftly grabbed the wand from Snape's hand.  
  
"Come now, Snivelly! There's no need for this! Is there, James?" he said sweetly. He threw the wand up at James, who had already mounted himself on his broomstick and was up in the air.  
  
"GIVE IT BACK!" Snape hollered, his face turning white and fists shaking with rage. James chuckled as he flew close above Snape's head in circles, lurching up each time Snape tried to grab him. People passing by stopped to watch in amusement.  
  
"What's the matter, Snivelly? Don't know how to fly?" James sang, swooping down to face Snape. Snape lunged forward, but James was too quick. He soared back up, just inches above where Snape could reach. Suddenly the wide grin on Sirius's face disappeared.  
  
"Prongs, get down!" he hissed, as he saw a woman approaching them. But James was too busy teasing Snape to notice.  
  
"Oy, Prongs!"  
  
"Come on, jump Snivelly! You can do it!" James laughed.  
  
"MR. POTTER!"  
  
James clutched the handle of his broom tightly as he almost fell off. He looked down in horror and saw Professor McGonagall. She was white with anger and had a murderous look on her face. James quickly dismounted his broom and faced Professor McGonagall.  
  
"HOW DARE YOU?" Professor McGonagall screamed. "How dare you pull a stunt like this at the TRAIN STATION! And I actually recommended you to be Head Boy!"  
  
James looked down at his Head Boy badge in guilt. He looked helplessly at Sirius, who gave him a sympathetic smile.  
  
"Don't think for a second that you and Mr. Black will be able to find a way to get out of this. The instant the Welcoming Feast is over, I want to see both you AND Mr. Black in Professor Dumbledore's office!" Professor McGonagall hissed.  
  
"But Professor, Sirius didn't do anything!" James said defensively. Professor McGonagall smirked.  
  
"Potter, Black is like your second. He is a part of EVERYTHING you do and vice versa!" With that, she stormed away. Sirius laughed and swung his arm around James's shoulders.  
  
"James, I'm touched! What did I do to deserve such a great best friend?" he asked, pretending to sniffle. James threw Sirius's arm off.  
  
"Guess we got our first detention for the year," he mumbled.  
  
"No worries, Prongs! You know were starting to miss them over summer holidays." Sirius said. James laughed and threw Snape his wand back.  
  
"Right you are, Padfoot! There's nothing like a good detention to welcome us back!" James's guilt vanished completely as he laughed with Sirius. But right before boarding the Hogwarts Express, he saw something that made all his high spirits sink. Lily Evans was glaring at him with the most hateful and disappointed expression he had ever seen.  
***  
  
Lily checked her watch again and slammed her head against the seat. She was sitting all alone in the Head Boy and Girl compartment. The train had left over half an hour ago, and still whoever the Head Boy was hadn't shown up.  
  
"This is not fair! He's probably not following the rules, and sitting with his friends while I'm sitting here alone like an idiot!" she muttered to herself. Just then, she heard loud voices and laughs from outside the compartment.  
  
"Yeah, I've just got to sit in the Head Boy compartment for a bit.meet the Head Girl or whatever."  
  
"Ooh, let's hope she's hot."  
  
"Yes, seriously. I'll catch you later Padfoot."  
  
Lily closed her eyes in horror. She knew that voice.she knew that nickname Padfoot. 'Please' she begged silently, 'please don't let it be.'  
  
"Evans!" James had a surprised look on his face. Lily opened her eyes and groaned.  
  
"Please tell me you're not the Head Boy!" she cried desperately. James flashed her a look of annoyance.  
  
"So what if I am? What's so bad about it?" he demanded. Lily was a bit taken back by James's sudden flash of temper.  
  
"Well unlike all your obsessive fans, I don't look forward to spending my time listening to you talk endlessly about you favorite topic," she replied.  
  
"What's my favorite topic?" James asked in confusion.  
  
"You!" Lily said coldly. James's eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
"WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE YOU KNOW ME?" he shouted. Lily let out a small laugh.  
  
"Because I do know you," she replied, "Everyone knows James Potter. Best Quidditch Seeker Hogwarts has ever seen, leader of the exclusive Marauders, most popular boy in school, object of many girls' affection.and oh yeah, t he most conceited bastard I've ever met in my life!"  
  
James stood up so quickly that he did not even realize what he was doing. For a second it looked like he wanted nothing more than to hit Lily. Then as abruptly as he had stood up, he sat back down and took out a Chocolate Frog. Lily watched as he popped it into his mouth, and threw the empty box out of the window.  
  
"Why did you just do that?" she asked with a frown. James continued to eat his Chocolate Frog, not regarding Lily whatsoever.  
  
"THERE'S A GARBAGE CAN RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!" Lily shouted, her anger rising. James gave her an irritated look.  
  
"Why do you shout over the stupidest things?" he asked. Lily was just about to tell James off when Sirius suddenly stuck his head into the compartment.  
  
"Hullo! Thought I heard shouting," he grinned. Lily clenched her fists as she watched the two boys laughing.  
  
"Sirius, you're not supposed to be in here," she said as calmly as she could. Sirius raised his eyebrows suggestively.  
  
"Ooh, am I interrupting something?" he winked.  
  
"Nothing except for Lily's little temper tantrum." James laughed. Lily looked as if she were about to slap him.  
  
"Being in here alone with a lady and nothing happening? Well that's a first, eh Prongs?" Sirius joked.  
  
"Yeah well give it some time, buddy, I just got in here."  
  
Lily stood up and walked to the doorway of the compartment. "All the time in the world wouldn't change the fact that I would NEVER have anything to do with a worthless piece of rubbish like YOU, James Potter!" she screamed, slamming the door shut behind her.  
  
James stared dumbly at the door while Sirius collapsed onto the floor in laughter.  
  
"That. . . was entertaining. . ." Sirius panted, trying to catch his breath. James glared at his best friend angrily.  
  
"JUST WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?" he raged, slamming his fist against the wall. Sirius quickly picked himself up off the floor and sat next to James.  
  
"Its like I told you, mate, she thinks you're a bit." Sirius struggled to find a kind word, ".stuck-up?" James looked at him furiously.  
  
"Stuck-up! It's not my fault if I'm used to girls liking me!" he declared.  
  
"Well, er, maybe you should just deflate your head a bit, Prongs." Sirius suggested, edging away in case James lost his temper again. But James just sighed and closed his eyes, wondering why on earth he was trying so hard to get Lily Evans.  
  
{Author's Note: Well, that's the first chapter. Hope you liked it, please review or e-mail us! Stay tuned. future chapters include news about the Muggle world ;) --Bananas } 


	2. Meanwhile in the Muggle World

Chapter 2: Meanwhile in the Muggle World  
  
Vernon Dursley slumped on his sofa watching his new, state-of-the-art color television. He reached his hand into his pillow sack and pulled out the last bit of chocolate from last Halloween. As he popped the candy into his mouth, he let out a small burp and grinned. Although he was disappointed that he ran out of candy, he could now look forward to filling the pillowcase up with even more candy this Halloween in less than two months. He made a mental note to tell his dad to buy several more bags of chocolate to last him until then. A loud rapping at the window caused Vernon to crane his short neck. A small brown owl was perched outside, pecking incessantly on the glass. Vernons eyes widened as he struggled to move his beefy body over to the telephone to call animal control. In the process, he screamed for his father. Darrius Dursley, a tall, burly man with a well- defined jawline and broad shoulders entered the room. "Ah!" Darrius gasped in his deep gravelly voice. "Its Shannon! Isn't she a beauty, Vernie?"  
  
As he opened the window for the owl, Vernon looked dumbstruck. "Dad, that creature practically drilled a hole into our home! I would hardly call it a beauty. I say, that thing is a menace and it should be reported to."  
  
Darrius tuned out as he caught a glimpse of a piece of yellow parchment dangling from the owl's leg. He glanced stealthily at Vernon, who was still yammering on about the dangers of unknown birds of prey. Darrius turned abruptly to Vernon and said shakily, "Er, Vernie, dearest, would you mind going upstairs and, er, having a go at my new train set?"  
  
Vernon, frowning suspiciously, but not ready to forfeit a chance to play with his dad's expensive toys, climbed grudgingly up the stairs but stopped halfway and peered through the railings when curiosity got the better of him. He watched his father as Darrius carefully unfolded the bit of parchment and a fond smile crossed his lips. "Albus Dumbledore." He murmured nostalgically. He suddenly glanced up and immediately spotted his son's pudgy visage and piggy eyes behind the railings. Vernon, upon being spotted, clambered clumsily up the stairs and into his bedroom. Darrius followed him, and peeked his extensive head into his son's room. "Er, Vernie, dear,"  
  
"Yes, dads?" Vernon asked angelically.  
  
"Er, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time."  
  
***  
  
Petunia sat alone, perched on a large rock in her backyard. This is where she often spent most of her time, especially when she needed to get away from her parents when they were gushing about Lily's "special gift." Today was one of those days; as she woke up, she heard her parents chatting happily, repetitively using the words "Lily," "witch," and "Hogwarts." Not wanting to be a part of this worship of her sister, Petunia immediately sauntered outside and plopped down on her favorite rock, trying to quell the tears accumulating in her eyes. "It's not fair," she mumbled to herself. "Why did it have to be her?" She spotted a small stick beside her and picked it up. The stick was straight and smooth, about a foot long. Her eyes glazed over and a small smile played upon her lips as she imagined that the stick was really a wand, like the one her sister bought several years ago. She waved the stick around with flicking motions of her wrist to get a feel for it. She laughed out loud as she pointed to a bare patch of dirt, gestured with her wand, and said quietly, "Arbio nitidus!" Of course, she had no idea what she just said, but it sounded similar to the Latin spells she often heard Lily practicing during the summer in the room they shared. Her mind filled with glee as her imagination produced a cluster of brightly colored exotic flowers in the once barren, dry patch of dirt. But the joy was fleeting; She blinked and was instantly brought back to reality. The patch of earth remained empty, and Petunia realized her "wand" was just an ordinary stick. She hurled the stick with all her might across the yard and then sat back down and rested her elbow on her knee, cradling her chin in her hand. "What am I doing?" She asked herself incredulously, and then a bitter tone overtook her voice as the truth sunk in. "Lily's nothing but a freak."  
  
***  
  
{Author's note: Well, this chapter describes the goings on in the Muggle World. Please review! The stories will intertwine soon, just be patient. Be on the lookout for more about Lily and James, and also some explainations. Discover the secret of Vernon's father.... New chapters will be up shortly, we won't keep you in suspence much longer! --Talon} 


	3. Hostile Beginnings

Chapter Three:  
  
"Ah, it feels jolly good to be back!" Sirius grinned, standing at the entrance of Hogwarts School with the rest of the Marauders. They watched the throng of anxious students piling in and heading towards the Great Hall.  
  
"And this year we'll really get to rule the school, Padfoot m'boy!" James laughed as a second year girl almost walked into a pillar in the process of staring at them.  
  
"Just remember Prongs, you're Head Boy now. I don't think you should pull any more crazy stunts like you did at the train station." Remus said wisely. Peter looked down at James's HB badge in awe.  
  
"You get your own common room, don't you James?" he asked excitedly. James frowned.  
  
"It's not exactly my own, I have to share it with.with the Head Girl," he replied quietly. Sirius processed the thought in his head, and his eyes grew large.  
  
"Prongs! That means."  
  
"I know what it means!" James snapped irritably. Peter looked at them in confusion.  
  
"What does it mean?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing! It's just Sirius thinking with his hormones as usual," James replied, dismissing the matter. The Marauders stepped into the Great Hall and took their usual places at the Gryffindor table. Almost immediately, a flock of girls had surrounded them.  
  
"Oh James, you said you'd write to me over the summer!"  
  
"Sirius! Do you fancy my new haircut?"  
  
"Oh, you didn't keep in touch at all!"  
  
"Hullo Remus, how have you been keeping?"  
  
"Peter what ARE you staring at?"  
  
"James, are you even listening? I said I sent you three owls, and I never got a reply! Surely you got them--"  
  
"DO YOU EXPECT I JUST SIT AROUND AT HOME ALL SUMMER WRITING BACK TO YOUR BLOODY OWLS?" James suddenly shouted. The entire Gryffindor table went quiet, eagerly watching James's wrath unfold. The brown-haired girl who he had shouted at looked petrified, as her eyes filled with tears. James, suddenly feeling guilty, looked away and started talking to the flabbergasted third-year sitting next to him.  
  
"Sorry about that, dear. He's in a bit of a bad mood," Sirius apologized to the girl. The girl smiled weakly and nodded.  
  
"Can't even apologize for yourself, Potter? No, I suppose you're too good for that. You get other people to do everything for you. Does Sirius hold your hand while you go to the loo as well?" Lily said coolly, standing behind James. By this time the entire Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables had gone silent as well, while the Slytherins snickered loudly. James stood up, towering over Lily before Sirius could stop him.  
  
"Do you have a problem with keeping out of other people's business? It's a bit annoying, really," he said, struggling to remain calm.  
  
"I have a problem with you thinking you're some kind of celebrity and that you can do whatever you please, even if it means hurting other people." Lily replied.  
  
"I CAN do whatever I please, Evans. No one has stopped me so far." James smirked. Sirius groaned. Clearly James had forgotten about deflating his head. Lily looked at James with a determined glare.  
  
"Well things are about to change for you, Potter. I'm Head Girl now and you can be sure that I'll be around to stop you," she said firmly. James looked at her with a curious expression on his face.  
  
"I'm sorry, but, are you threatening me?" he asked in amusement. Lily tried very hard not to squirm as she looked up at James's challenging eyes.  
  
"All I'm saying is that you better watch yourself. . . or you'll find yourself with much more problems than you could have ever imagined." Lily started to turn around, but James grabbed her arm tightly. He was about to say something when suddenly someone cleared their throat loudly. The students all turned their heads to see Professor Albus Dumbledore standing at the front of the room, his blue eyes twinkling. James let go of Lily's arm and slumped back down into his seat, ignoring Remus's disapproving look.  
  
"My dear students, welcome back to Hogwarts!" Professor Dumbledore's kind voice rang throughout the Great Hall. Lily quickly took a seat next to her three best friends - Kailyn Saratay, Bridget Riveter and Annabelle Retstun.  
  
"It pleases me to see that you are all well. In a few moments, of course, we shall begin our feast. But first, I have some announcements to make." Dumbledore said fondly. "This year's Head Boy and Girl, who were kind enough to present us with that fascinating introduction a few moments ago, James Potter and Lily Evans!"  
  
The students clapped nervously, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of James and Lily, who were both scowling furiously in opposite directions.  
  
"Secondly, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that new punishments for breaking any school rules have indeed been enforced. A list of these punishments can be found outside his office. And lastly, as a treat for our seventh years who will be leaving us next year, I have decided to try something new. During the week of Halloween, I invite all seventh-years' families to visit us here at Hogwarts!"  
  
The Great Hall immediately broke out in chattering as students excitedly discussed this news.  
  
"Settle down, please, I am almost through. A letter has already been owled to every seventh-year's family explaining this event. All families will be welcome to stay in our guest tower here at Hogwarts for a week, opening with a spectacular Quidditch match and ending with our legendary Halloween feast! Now that all that has been said, let the feast begin!"  
  
Suddenly hundreds of plates appeared on the tables in front of the students. The endless chatter resumed as the hungry students piled their plates high with an assortment of food.  
  
"Hey, this is wicked! My mum has always wanted to see what Hogwarts was like!" Peter exclaimed, stuffing his face with some steak-and-kidney pie.  
  
"Yeah, I reckon my mum would love to see it too," Remus agreed.  
  
"Hope your sister comes as well!" Sirius grinned. Remus shook his head, but joined in the laughter anyway. The boys looked over at James, who was glaring down at his plate angrily.  
  
"Better stand back," Sirius whispered to Peter and Remus jokingly, "Er, Prongs?" James continued to glare at his plate. Sirius cleared his throat and said a bit louder, "Prongs?"  
  
"What?" James grumbled.  
  
"Well what do you think about the family visiting week?" Peter piped up timidly.  
  
"What's there to think about it?" James growled. Peter looked a bit offended and taken back.  
  
"Right!" Sirius said brightly. "So who's up for some dessert?"  
  
* * *  
"Fishwiggle," Lily said in front of the portrait of a fat lady with a pink dress. The portrait swung open, and Lily and her friends walked into the Gryffindor common room. Lily fell onto one of the couches while her friends gaped at her.  
  
"I still can't believe you actually told off James Potter in front of the whole school!" Bridget shrieked. Lily rolled her eyes and groaned.  
  
"I know! JAMES POTTER! I could NEVER tell him off! One look into those beautiful hazel eyes." Annabelle sighed dreamily.  
  
"Guys, snap out of it! He's not some kind of prince! He's just an arrogant, selfish pig!"  
  
"Ooh Anna, didn't Sirius look amazing?" Bridget cried, clearly not hearing a word Lily had said. Annabelle nodded frantically.  
  
"I just love the way his hair falls over his eyes."  
  
"You were great, Lil. It was about time someone showed him that he's not God." Kailyn said, giving Bridget and Annabelle dirty looks.  
  
"Thank you! At least one of you is still on my side," Lily said gratefully. Bridget smiled and slipped her arm through Lily's.  
  
"We're still on your side, Lil! We're just a bit."  
  
"Shocked?" Annabelle supplied. She sat on the couch next to Lily.  
  
"Yeah, I'm still a little shocked too. But he was getting on my last nerves!" Lily cried. Kailyn shook her head.  
  
"That boy's a hell of a Quidditch player, but he has the biggest head I've ever seen," she said. Kailyn had been the Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team since third year. She greatly admired James for his skill as Seeker and Captain, but there were many times when the two would end up in a heated argument in the middle of Quidditch practice. She looked over at Bridget and Annabelle who were, to her great annoyance, still talking dreamily about James and the rest of the Marauders.  
  
"Okay, he's not THAT good-looking!" she yelled. Bridget and Annabelle frowned at her, then continued with their conversation. Lily smiled at Kailyn sympathetically.  
  
"I agree with you completely, Kaily," she said, "Stupid idiot always messing up his hair, trying to look cool." She looked at Bridget and Annabelle, who were now grinning at her like idiots.  
  
"Didn't I tell you?" Annabelle giggled.  
  
"Yeah, I don't know how I didn't see it!" Bridget grinned. Kailyn shrugged as Lily looked to her for help. Lily looked back at Bridget and Annabelle in annoyance.  
  
"What?" she demanded. Bridget tried to put on an innocent face.  
  
"Well, we couldn't help but noticing that over the past year, a great deal of your conversations have been about James," she said sweetly. Lily looked at her in disbelief.  
  
"Because the boy is so IRRITATING!" she shouted. A group of first- year girls sitting at a nearby table jumped in surprise.  
  
"Yes well, we get the feeling that there might be. . . another reason." Annabelle said slowly, with the same innocent face that Bridget had. Lily glared at them back and forth.  
  
"And what would that reason be?" she asked through clenched teeth. Bridget and Annabelle looked at each other.  
  
"Er. . . that you, perhaps, fancy him?" Annabelle said meekly.  
  
"FANCY HIM?" Lily roared, this time causing everyone in the common room to jump.  
  
"Lily, just hear us out." Bridget began.  
  
"YOU'VE BOTH GONE MAD!" Lily screeched, "COMPLETEY, ABSOLUTELY MAD!" At this point Bridget and Annabelle looked quite scared.  
  
"Now you've gone and done it," Kailyn muttered to them. Lily got up and stormed towards the girls' dormitory.  
  
"Mad! They've all gone mad!" she laughed sarcastically.  
  
* * *  
James and Sirius sat silently in Professor Dumbledore's office, waiting for Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall to finish their meeting. Sirius cast a worried glance at James, who had his head buried in his hands. He leaned closer to James.  
  
"Prongs?" he said quietly. James jumped, causing his and Sirius's heads to collide with a loud crash. Sirius jumped to his feet, holding his head in pain.  
  
"Damn Prongs, Lily was right, you do have a thick head!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head frantically. James, who was in an equal amount of pain, punched Sirius hard in the arm. Professor McGonagall walked into the room, and froze at the sight in front of her.  
  
"Your head is just as thick as mine, Padfoot!" James shouted.  
  
"Well what did you have to go and punch me for? I always say you have a thick head!" Sirius shouted back. "Just because this time I said I'm agreeing with."  
  
"Gentlemen!" Professor McGonagall interrupted, her face stern. James and Sirius turned to look at her, still clutching their heads.  
  
"Sorry Professor," they both mumbled as they sat down. Professor Dumbledore then entered, and sat behind his desk. He looked rather amused, which was quite the opposite of Professor McGonagall's expression.  
  
"Professor McGonagall has informed me on what occurred at the train station." Professor Dumbledore said, his eyes still twinkling. "What you did to Severus Snape was very wrong indeed, and you both ought to be ashamed." James and Sirius exchanged glances.  
  
"We're very sorry, sir." James said solemnly. Dumbledore looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Mr. Potter, you are now the Head Boy of Hogwarts. I must say I expect more mature behavior from you in the future," he said.  
  
"I'll make sure James behaves from now on, sir." Sirius said, trying not to smile. Professor McGonagall let out a sarcastic laugh.  
  
"Ah yes, Mr. Black. You be sure to do that." Professor Dumbledore said in amusement. "However, as you were not in either Hogwarts or the Hogwarts Express when the incident occurred, I do not find myself to be in the position of issuing you a punishment. After all, you were still technically on summer holidays. Just be sure nothing of this sort happens ever again." Professor Dumbledore's face was still kind, as he looked at the two boys fondly.  
  
"Thank you, sir!" James and Sirius said together. They stood up and were escorted down by Professor McGonagall.  
  
"Detention wouldn't have done either of you much good anyway. Sometimes I get the feeling that you boys rather enjoy it." Professor McGonagall said, with the slightest hint of a smile, before strolling down the corridor towards her office. Sirius's grin faded when he saw the glum look on James's face.  
  
"Hey Prongs, what's wrong?" he asked in concern, "Don't worry, we'll get another detention!" James looked at him and tried to smile.  
  
"I'm just tired, Padfoot," he said. They walked along the corridor in silence for a few minutes.  
  
"You really like Lily a lot, don't you?" Sirius finally asked.  
  
"No. I just don't get why she doesn't like me." James said, a bit defensively. Sirius sighed.  
  
"I told you James, she's not impressed by you showing off. She's. . . different from the other girls," he explained. James frowned.  
  
"She's not worth it," he muttered. 


	4. Mixed Feelings

Chapter Four: Mixed Feelings  
  
The next morning brought the first day of a new year of classes. The students ate anxiously, discussing their new schedules.  
  
"We have to start the week off with Potions?" Sirius cried in disbelief. Peter's eyes widened with fear. Last year the Potions teacher had hated the Marauders so much that he would hex them whenever he got angry.  
  
James was out of his depressed mood, and back to his charming self. He was talking to a smart, pretty Gryffindor girl, Kate Sruney, who was listening to him as if he were some sort of King.  
  
"It's not that I don't like doing Potions homework, it's just that I get so busy with Quidditch and all." James said, flashing her a charming smile.  
  
"Oh James, I understand completely! If you ever find that you don't have time to do your homework, I'd be more than happy to do it for you!" Kate said earnestly.  
  
"Thanks Kate, you're amazing." James replied. Kate looked as if she could die from happiness.  
  
"Got a head start this time, eh Prongs?" Sirius said in amusement. Peter looked at James in awe, while Remus shook his head disapprovingly.  
  
"You should really do your Potions homework this year, James. We have to take the N.E.W.T.S. at the end of the year, and you want to be an Auror. You need a N.E.W.T. in Potions to become an Auror," he said. Lily, who was sitting only a few seats away, looked at James in surprise. She had no idea that he had wanted to be an Auror. She always assumed he wanted to be a professional Quidditch player and get all the fame and attention that his over inflated ego thrived on. 'But he wants to be an Auror . . . he wants to help people, and protect them from the bad. He wants to do something good, something totally unselfish. . .' Lily thought to herself.  
  
"What?" James barked, noticing Lily staring at him. Sirius made a soft disapproving sound.  
  
"N-nothing," Lily replied, quickly looking down at her breakfast. She glared at Bridget and Annabelle, who had started giggling. They stopped immediately, not wanting Lily to explode again like she had last night.  
  
"Quidditch practice for the Gryffindor team tonight at seven!" James suddenly yelled for the entire table to hear. Several members of the team looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"Er, Prongs, we just got back." Sirius pointed out.  
  
"Yeah! And besides, you need to book the Quidditch field!" Kailyn argued. James shot her a look of extreme annoyance.  
  
"I already did," he replied smugly.  
  
"Are you mad? It's the first day of school!" Kailyn shouted. The Gryffindor table went quiet, eager to see yet another fight between James and Kailyn.  
  
"Well judging from last year's final match, you could use a lot of brushing up." James said coolly. Kailyn stood up so fast that she knocked over her goblet of pumpkin juice.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.  
  
"You let a Slytherin FIRST YEAR score two goals." James said in a slightly pained voice. Kailyn leaned over the table, glaring at James threateningly.  
  
"Well I'm sorry, James Potter! I only wish I could be just as perfect as you, because God knows YOU'VE never made a mistake in your life!" she screamed. She gathered up her books, and stormed out of the Great Hall. Lily glared at James, before running after her best friend.  
  
"Well that went well." James said sarcastically.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey Prongs. . ." Sirius said quietly, glancing at the purple fumes coming out of the cauldron in front of him. He checked to make sure Professor Dooms, the Potions teacher, wasn't looking.  
  
"What?" James said distractedly, his eyes focused on something in the front of the room.  
  
"How many frog legs were we supposed to add?" Sirius asked calmly. James tore his gaze away from Lily and looked at the cauldron.  
  
"Two. . ." he said slowly.  
  
"And how many did you add?" Sirius asked. James looked at the bowl of frog legs in front of him.  
  
"Five," he said in horror.  
  
"FIVE! You idiot!" Sirius bellowed.  
  
"Well you should've stopped me!" James said defensively.  
  
"Well you shouldn't have been staring at Lily Evans the whole time!" Sirius snapped.  
  
"I WAS NOT." James broke off when he saw the potion in the cauldron start to bubble furiously. Sirius looked at him in alarm as the cauldron began to shake.  
  
"It's going to explode!" Sirius yelled. The entire class looked over in surprise.  
  
"Don't be stupid. . ." James began. But before he could say another word, the cauldron burst, spilling the heated potion all over James and Sirius. Several girls shrieked and screamed, running over to James and Sirius with wet towels in their hands.  
  
"There goes the Marauders' fan club." Lily muttered to Kailyn in disgust. She threw a threatening look at Bridget and Annabelle, who looked very tempted to join the other girls. Lily laughed at the sight of James wincing in pain, unable to help thinking how cute and helpless he looked.  
  
Remus and Peter bustled through the crowd of girls surrounding James and Sirius, who were covered in purple slime.  
  
"James! Are you okay?" Peter cried, clutching James's arm in worry. Sirius groaned impatiently, rubbing his arm in pain.  
  
"Don't have a fit, Wormtail, he's fine. If His Highness hadn't been dreaming about - OW!" Sirius cast a furious look at James, who had just elbowed him hard in the ribs.  
  
By this time the Slytherins, who shared Potions class with the Gryffindors, were laughing hysterically.  
  
"That look really suits you, Potter." Lucius Malfoy sneered.  
  
"I don't expect there's any look that suits you, Malfoy!" James snapped. Malfoy glared at him with a loathing face. Professor Dooms looked at the mess in disgust.  
  
"Twenty points from Gryffindor for your lack of following directions and pure stupidity," he growled.  
  
"Professor, surely they should go to the hospital wing!" Desiray McKann cried, patting Sirius's arm sympathetically.  
  
"No, we're okay." Sirius said, inspecting the large bumps on his hand. Small bumps had appeared on the boys' faces as well.  
  
"I hope Madam Pomfrey can get rid of those bumps!" Bridget whispered.  
  
"Poor guys," Annabelle murmured. Lily and Kailyn exchanged annoyed glances. The bell rang for the end of class, and a herd of girls escorted James and Sirius to the hospital wing.  
  
"He's enjoying this!" Lily said in outrage, watching James smile haughtily as Melissa Marandon stroked his face.  
  
* * *  
  
Ten minutes into Transfiguration class, James and Sirius walked in. They were cleaned up, and the bumps on their faces were completely gone. Professor McGonagall stopped abruptly in her lecture, and watched them take their seats.  
  
"Well I suppose some things will never change," she said irritably.  
  
"But Professor, we were. . ."  
  
"I know where you were, Mr. Potter. Several young ladies were kind enough to inform me of the entire story in detail." Professor McGonagall interrupted. "Anyway, as I was saying, you are now in your final year of Transfiguration. As you know, this is no easy course. This year, we will be looking at Human Transfiguration. As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult and complicated procedure. . ."  
  
"No it isn't." Sirius laughed. James and Remus shot him warning looks. Lily observed this, and looked at them curiously.  
  
"What did you say, Mr. Black?" Professor McGonagall asked sharply, annoyed at this interruption.  
  
"Nothing, Professor." Sirius replied.  
  
"Now for the first few lessons, we will be working on transfiguring frogs into different animals." Professor McGonagall droned on as she made a frog appear on each desk.  
  
"Next time McGonagall yells at us, I say we turn into Animagi and give her a good shock." Sirius whispered. The Marauders laughed, causing Professor McGonagall to glare at them.  
  
The rest of the day passed slowly with double Herbology class. After dinner, Sirius walked onto the Quidditch field, where James was flying high on his broom.  
  
"Oy, Captain! Get down here!" Sirius shouted with a grin. He didn't know anyone at Hogwarts who loved playing Quidditch as much as James did. By this time most of the team had gathered on the field, watching James.  
  
"Show-off," Kailyn muttered, still angry at what had happened at breakfast.  
  
"But the very best show-off," Sirius grinned. Kailyn turned around and gasped.  
  
"Sirius! I didn't see you," she said.  
  
""Don't be mad at James, Kaily. You know how he can get. But he thinks you're a really great Keeper, and he's really proud of you." Sirius said seriously. Kailyn looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Thanks, Sirius. I've always looked up to James, but he really needs to get a hold of himself sometimes. I was talking to Lily, and even she said that if he just toned down his ego and temper a bit, James would be a really great guy," she said.  
  
"She said that, did she?" Sirius grinned slyly.  
  
"Yeah, why?" Kailyn asked suspiciously. Sirius laughed and looked at James, who had just gotten off his broom.  
  
"We Marauders always get what we want," he replied simply. Kailyn looked at him in confusion. She felt a bit weak as she watched how his long dark hair fell over his warm brown eyes. She continued to gaze at him, wondering why she suddenly found him so fascinating.  
  
"Once Sirius and Kailyn are finished staring at each another, we can begin practice!" James said loudly. Kailyn jumped and quickly looked away, blushing furiously. Sirius turned and grinned at James, showing no embarrassment whatsoever.  
  
* * *  
  
"Prongs. . .I think. . .you've gone mad." Sirius said exhaustedly, throwing himself onto the ground after Quidditch practice.  
  
"Well Padfoot, this is my last year as captain, so we got to do our best. We'll be remembered as the best Quidditch team the school has ever had!" James smiled. He picked up the crate of Quidditch balls, and started to head inside, with Sirius behind him.  
  
"So what should we do now?" Sirius asked with a yawn.  
  
"I suppose we better start our Potions homework." James said in disgust. Sirius laughed loudly.  
  
"Or we could go check out your new private common room!" he suggested. James followed Sirius down a narrow corridor, stopping in front of a portrait hole.  
  
"If I remember correctly, this is it. Unless they've changed it since Gabrielle Hacht was Head Girl." Sirius smiled reminiscently.  
  
"Er," James racked his brain frantically, trying to remember the password Professor Dumbledore had given him. "Twinkle beans!" he finally remembered.  
  
"Twinkle beans?" Sirius grimaced, as the portrait hole swung open. They peered inside, and saw Lily reading a book on the couch in front of the fireplace. James quickly moved out of sight, pulling Sirius with him.  
  
"I think we better go to the Gryffindor common room," he whispered.  
  
"How about I go to the Gryffindor common room, while you stay here and talk to Lily?" Sirius whispered back.  
  
"What would I want to do that for?" James snapped. Sirius sighed.  
  
"Now be nice, control your temper, and don't act like you're the Prince of Wales!" he said, pushing James forward. Then he quietly slipped out of the room. James slowly walked towards Lily, and stood behind the couch.  
  
"What are you doing, Evans?" he asked, unconsciously rumpling his already untidy hair. Lily jumped up in surprise and spun around. She groaned when she saw James.  
  
"Alright, I'll leave!" she said, starting to walk past James.  
  
"Why are you leaving?" James asked, grabbing her arm. Lily looked up at him in surprise.  
  
"Well I can't study with you around, now can I?" she replied. James let go of her arm, and turned the other way.  
  
"I try to be nice to you, and this is what I get," he muttered, dropping onto the couch. Lily looked startled to see that James had not said anything mean, or yelled at her. She walked over to the couch and sat next to James.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively, "Did you lose one of your fans or something?" Lily was so used to having verbal wars with James that she couldn't stop herself. James closed his eyes, almost praying for the strength to not explode.  
  
'Why do you always have to be so difficult?" he asked as nicely as he could. Lily tried not to laugh as she watched James struggle to control his anger. The room filled with a strange silence while Lily debated whether she should answer civilly or not. She felt a twinge of guilt when she saw the tired look on James's face.  
  
"You're right, James. We should put our differences aside and try to get along. After all, we are going to have to work together as Head Boy and Girl." Lily finally said. She searched James's face for any trace of that arrogant look that suited him so well. But James continued to look weary.  
  
"James, are you okay?" Lily asked, beginning to feel alarmed that James wasn't talking much. She knew James loved to talk, and she had never seen him this quiet before.  
  
"Quidditch practice was exhausting." James replied, resting his head on one of the cushions.  
  
"Oh, right - I ran into Kailyn before I came here, and all she said was something about you being completely off your head, and that she was straight to bed." Lily laughed. She felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach as James smiled at her. It wasn't his usual cocky smile, but a friendly, adorable one. Forcing herself to tear her gaze away from his eyes, she looked down at his arm, which was still a little red from where the bumps had been.  
  
"Sirius put too many frog legs in the potion." James lied. Lily laughed softly, and traced her finger up and down his arm. As a shiver went up his spine, James silently prayed that Lily couldn't feel him shaking. Lily looked into his eyes, briefly remembering all the bad names she had ever called him, and all the times she wanted nothing more than to strangle him. All these years, his arrogance and enormous ego had disgusted her, yet a part of her always fell for his charm. But she had become so good at hiding this part that soon she decided it was nothing more than a side effect of hanging out with Bridget and Annabelle too much.  
  
"I should go to bed now." Lily said suddenly. She knew James was just luring her into a trap, and if she stayed any longer she would fall right into it.  
  
"You should. . . " James said solemnly, "but you don't want to. . ." His usual cocky smile returned to his face. Lily smiled to herself. She knew his arrogance couldn't have disappeared that easily.  
  
"Actually," she said crisply, "I do want to." She stood up and started to head towards the door, when she realized that James was still lying on the couch. Against her will, she turned around and said, "Aren't you going to bed?"  
  
"No, I'm too tired to move. I'm just going to sleep here tonight," he answered. Lily walked back to the couch and looked at him.  
  
"Are you sure? You might get cold," she said.  
  
"You can make sure that doesn't happen," James grinned slyly. Lily laughed and walked over to the fireplace.  
  
"You're right, I can," she said, as she made big orange flames arise with the flick of her wand. Then she picked up a woolen blanket from a basket next to the fireplace, and draped it over James.  
  
"Not what I had in mind, but thank you." James said with a soft smile. Lily looked surprised at his sudden kindness. She waited for him to say something cocky again. But he had closed his eyes and was breathing softly. Before she could stop herself, Lily gently took off his glasses and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of James's face. She looked at him for a few moments before turning and walking out of the room, not seeing the wide grin stretching across James's face. 


	5. The Revelation

{Authors note: First off, thanks to all the reviewers! We really appreciate it! Also, we're experiencing a technical difficulty that perhaps you can help us with... we don't see our story on any of the pages! So to anyone reading this right now, could you please review our story and tell us how you found it? Thanx a bunch! Now on to the story... Back to the Muggle World. Expect a very... different... twist ;) ~Talon }  
  
Chapter Five: The Revelation  
  
Vernon was getting dizzy as he watched his father pace about the room, yet again. A full month had gone by, and every day, Darius sat Vernon down to tell him something, yet the only words that left Darrius's mouth were "er," and "son." Vernon, getting quite annoyed, sighed heavily, hoping to hint to his father to hurry up. Darrius began for the hundredth time. "Er, son." Then he stopped and pondered a bit, then paced some more.  
  
Vernon, unable to take anymore, finally piped up. "For goodness sake, Dads! Spit it out then!"  
  
"Alright alright." Darrius breathed in. "We need to talk about something."  
  
Vernon, now relatively agitated, interrupted. "Listen Dad, if its about what happens when a man and woman love each other, we've already discussed it in school. I'm sixteen years old, I believe I know enough about--"  
  
Darrius turned red. "No, good heavens, no! That's not what I wanted to talk about!" Vernon breathed a sigh of relief. Darrius continued. "Well, perhaps it will be easier to explain if you read this." He handed Vernon the piece of parchment that he had obtained from the talons of the owl several weeks ago. Vernon's plump forehead scrunched as he read the letter.  
---------  
You are Cordially Invited.  
To join the Seventh Year Students of  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
In the First Annual  
Family Week. The event shall take place during the Week of Halloween of the current year  
And will feature Quidditch matches, Grand feasts, and other social  
activities.  
Please R.S.V.P by owl as soon as possible.  
We look forward to meeting the families of these brilliant Witches and  
Wizards.  
---------  
  
At the bottom of the invitation, a very confused Vernon spotted a handwritten note:  
  
---------  
Hello there Darrius!  
I came across your name in my address book and thought you might like to come revisit your former school. This shall be the perfect opportunity for you to tie up any loose ends you may have. Also, It will allow us to do a great deal of catching up. I missed you terribly, old friend! Please say  
you can attend. I shall be most delighted.  
Sincerely Yours,  
Albus Dumbledore  
--------  
  
Vernon put down the letter, feeling as if the whole world were spinning about his head. "Dad. May I ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course, Vernie. I know this whole thing must be a great shock to you and you must have a lot of questions. I'll answer them as best I can. Now go on then, what's your question?"  
  
"Have you gone totally and utterly mad? What is this load of bullshit? Witches? Wizards? Your former school? I say, obviously this Albus fellow is a crackpot and should be reported immediately to the mental institutions. And while they're at it, they should take a long hard look at you. Letting in wild animals through the window, for goodness sake, actually taking this pitiful prank to heart?" Vernon was barely making sense now, and he felt lightheaded as he plopped down on his bed.  
  
Darrius sighed and sat down next to his son. "I know its hard to believe, Vernie, but just hear my story." He proceeded to tell Vernon the whole story. Only bits and pieces entered Vernon's mental capacity, and with each bit of new information, Vernon felt more and more queasy. "I attended Hogwarts..." he faintly heard his father tell him. "came from a line of pure-blood wizards... Fell in love with a muggle (er, non-wizard, that is)... Father rejected me... changed my last name, moved to the muggle world... Albus Dumbledore was my best friend... lost touch for all these years... Vernon listen to me!" Vernon shifted his watery eyes to gaze into his fathers intense stare. "Everything I'm telling you is the truth, son. I was, er, am... a wizard." With those last words, Vernon lost consciousness and he descended to the floor with a thud.  
  
* * *  
  
"Petuuuunia!" Mrs. Evans' voice rang through the backyard, jolting Petunia out of her glum moping.  
She was yet again sitting on her favorite rock, pretending to cast hexes on Lily. "Cauda ponusius! Hah, you grew a rat tail. Capillus inflammo! Hah! Your hair's on fire! How does it feel now, Ms. Head Girl? What do you think about the shoe being on the other foot, hm?"  
"Petuuunia! Come over here Pet, we have something to tellllll you!" Petunia rolled her eyes and sulked into the kitchen. "I swear," she muttered under her breath, "if it's about Lily I'm just going to--"  
  
"We're going on a vacation!" Mr. Evans said brightly.  
  
Petunia looked up with a breath of relief, smiling slightly, despite her somber mood. The Evans Family wasn't exactly well-off financially and a vacation was a rare and precious event. "That's wonderful, Father! Where are we going?"  
  
Mr. Evans chuckled. "I'm so glad you're excited, Dearest." He paused and exchanged a glance with his wife, his excitement swelling up inside him. "We're going to visit Lily at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" He declared with a wide grin.  
  
Petunia's face instantly fell. The color drained from her already fair face as her worst nightmare was confirmed. Not only was she going to be spending time with a bunch of... freaks, but she'll also be pushed even further away from the spotlight than she usually is. She swallowed, trying to push her heart from her throat back down to her chest. She turned her head slightly, so her parents would not notice the tears welling. However, that didn't seem to be a problem as her parents were too busy rambling on about "all expense paid transportation on the Night Bus" and "Free room and board at the guest tower" to notice that Petunia was not at all as excited about the "vacation" as they thought her to be.  
  
"If you'll excuse me, then..." Petunia ran swiftly back to her rock in the backyard and threw herself on the grass beside it, sobbing uncontrollably for hours. As she cried her last tear, she rolled over to face the setting sun. She let the gentle breeze dry the tears on her cheeks, leaving salty streaks on her face as to remind her not to forget the sorrow she had just experienced. Thoughts drifted in and out of her head. Lily, and how she always got more oats than her at breakfast. Lily, and how her parents literally forgot Petunia's name the day that they received the admission letter to Hogwarts. Lily, and how she could badmouth the most brilliant looking fellow without feeling any remorse whatsoever... Petunia sat up. "That brilliant looking fellow!" She had forgotten all about him up until this moment. "James Potter..." she mumbled, remembering his tousled black hair and sparkling hazel eyes. She remembered that intense moment they shared, as he looked at her and smiled, it felt as if he was penetrating her soul. At that moment, she remembered, she was truly happy. James Potter saw her in a way that nobody else cared to look for. "And now," Petunia said, smiling for what felt like the first time in her life, "I get to see him again..." 


	6. Shattered Hearts

Author's Note: Hey thanks for the reviews guys! Please continue to read & review cuz that's what keeps us writing! Oh and I know Ch. 5 said that a month has passed by, but this chapter still takes place on the 2nd day of school. . . lol so we're gonna have to fix that somehow - but keep reading anyway!  
  
Chapter Six:  
  
The next morning, Lily awoke to find Bridget and Annabelle sitting on the edge of her bed, peering at her anxiously.  
  
"We didn't see you last evening." Bridget said, as soon as she saw Lily open her bright green eyes. Lily slid up in bed and rubbed her eyes sleepily.  
  
"I was in the Head common room," she answered. Bridget and Annabelle exchanged bright looks.  
  
"The Head common room - that sounds fun! Do you get it all to yourself?" Annabelle asked. It was obvious that she already knew what the answer would be.  
  
"No, I have to share it with the Head Boy." Lily said irritably, catching on to what Bridget and Annabelle were getting at.  
  
"Oh! Well that would mean. . .James!" Bridget grinned.  
  
"Was he there last night too?" Annabelle asked excitedly. Lily rolled her eyes and groaned.  
  
"He came in just as I was leaving," she said firmly, clearly putting an end to the discussion. Lily felt a little guilty not telling her best friends the whole truth, but she knew they would make it into a huge deal. They would start giggling like mad, and would analyze Lily's "feelings". But Lily herself wasn't even sure how she felt, and decided she was much better off without biased opinions from her two Marauder-crazy friends.  
  
Minutes later, the girls walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. They were just about to enter the hall when Lily heard a shrill shriek and then familiar laughs echoing down the corridor. Lily ran down the corridor, reaching for her wand. She stopped when she saw a small first- year boy doing somersaults in the air. His brown beady eyes were wide in terror, as he continued to shriek shrilly. James, Sirius and Peter were laughing heartily, and even Remus looked as if he were trying hard not to laugh.  
  
"PUT HIM DOWN!" Lily shouted, pointing her wand directly at James. James stopped laughing and looked at her in amusement.  
  
"You're not going to hex me, are you Lily?" he asked sweetly.  
  
"I will if you don't put that boy down right now, Potter!" Lily said angrily.  
  
"Ooh, back on last name basis, are we Evans?" James laughed, his hazel eyes twinkling mischievously. Lily could feel herself turning red with both anger and embarrassment.  
  
"Put him down now." Lily repeated threateningly, gripping her wand tightly. James stared at her for a couple of seconds.  
  
"Alright," he finally said. He pointed his wand at the terrified boy and muttered a countercurse. The boy slowly dropped to the floor with a soft thud. "Maybe you'll learn not to loiter around the corridors from now on!" James said hoarsely. Sirius and Peter exploded into laughter as the boy shrieked and scrambled away.  
  
"What business is it of yours if he loiters in the corridors?" Lily demanded. James ignored this, and swung his arm around Lily's shoulders.  
  
"So Lils, I was wondering. . .when are we going to out?" he asked cheekily, rumpling his hair with his other hand. Lily pushed his arm off her shoulder.  
  
"Never!" she snapped. She started to walk away, shaking with anger.  
  
"Never? Come on Lily, you don't know that for sure. You're not a Seer or anything." James called loudly over Sirius's snickers. Lily stopped abruptly and spun around.  
  
"I know that I will NEVER go out with you, Potter, because you will NEVER change!" she screamed. She quickly turned around and stormed into the Great Hall. She sat down between Kailyn and Bridget, and slammed her head on the table.  
  
"Er, are you alright Lily?" Kailyn asked worriedly. Lily shook her head, realizing how insane she must have been to think that James Potter could be worth liking. Noticing that the table had suddenly gone quiet, she looked up and saw James standing next to her, wearing his usual stupid smile.  
  
"I know you didn't mean what you said just now, and I really think that if you just get to know me, you'd-" James began.  
  
"WELL I DON'T WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU! I DON'T EVER WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU!" Lily hollered. Several girls gasped, while Bridget and Annabelle looked absolutely horrified. "Don't you understand that all you are to me is a conceited, insensitive dimwit who doesn't give a damn about anyone else besides yourself? I have never met anyone who disgusts me more than you do!"  
  
The entire Great Hall had once again gone dead silent, and everyone openly gaped at Lily. James had a completely blank expression on his face. No one had ever embarrassed him like this before, and he was so too shocked to even be angry.  
  
"You weren't this hostile last night, were you?" he said slyly, with a devilish grin. James watched in satisfaction, as Lily turned even redder. Bridget and Annabelle looked as if they would explode, and the Great Hall exploded into hushed murmurs. Lily stood up and slapped James hard across the face, before running out of the Great Hall. Kailyn followed, dragging Bridget and Annabelle with her. James sunk into his seat, rubbing his cheek. Remus looked at him sternly.  
  
"James, it was wrong of you to embarrass her to that extent. I mean, I don't think you should go announcing things like that to the whole school- "  
  
"Oh, come off it Moony! What happened last night, Prongs?" Sirius demanded, grinning.  
  
"We were wondering why you didn't come back to the dorm!" Peter squeaked excitedly.  
  
"Oh, you know. . ." James began cunningly.  
  
"What?" Sirius and Peter said earnestly.  
  
"Er, nothing," James admitted quietly.  
  
"Come on, Prongs! You have to tell us!" Sirius protested.  
  
"Really Padfoot, nothing happened." James muttered, "I was just trying to embarrass her." Sirius groaned.  
  
"Why?" he asked exasperatedly.  
  
"Because she embarrassed me in front of everyone!" James yelled.  
  
"Listen to me, James. You're crazy about this girl, so stop caring so much about your pride, and concentrate on getting her to like you!" Sirius said firmly.  
  
"But she hates me!" James moaned, his head buried in his hands.  
  
"Obviously!" Remus retorted. Then seeing James's depressed face, he sighed and said, "She doesn't hate you, James. You just need to stop pulling all these stunts that get her mad."  
  
"Yeah, don't you want to show her that you're not all that bad?" Sirius smiled. James looked at Sirius glumly.  
  
"Well what am I supposed to do now? She probably won't ever talk to me again. I've messed things up for good!" he said dejectedly.  
  
"Come on, James! When have you ever given up on something you wanted?" Remus said spiritedly.  
  
"Yeah! Now all you've got to do is talk to her, and apologize." Sirius added. James looked at him as if he were crazy.  
  
"As if she'll let me talk to her! She'll start screaming at me a bit more. Or she'll slap me again," he said.  
  
"Well you'll just have to patiently wait until she finishes. As long as you don't lose your temper and say something stupid, she'll listen once she's finished yelling." Sirius said reassuringly.  
  
* * *  
That night, Lily sat alone in the Head common room in front of the fireplace. She hugged her knees and swayed back and forth, remembering what had happened at breakfast. Angry tears filled in her eyes as she recalled James's cocky grin and triumphant eyes. The fact that the whole school now thought she had spent the night with James Potter wasn't even what was bothering her the most. No, it was the fact that she had stupidly let herself believe that James might really have changed. She had let down her guard. . . even considered giving him a chance to prove that he wasn't everything she had always accused him of being. She had started to give in to his stupid charm, and James knew it. . . he knew that he was succeeding, and decided to gloat about his achievements to the whole school.  
  
'Well," she thought angrily, 'I'll never do anything that stupid again!' She was so angry for not defending herself when James's had made that dirty remark at breakfast. All she did was run out of the room crying. At the time, she hadn't even thought about what other people would think. She hadn't heard all the rumors that were starting up. All she could think about was how she had felt last night, how she could feel that there was something between them. . .but James could just pretend to pass it off as another one of his "achievements".  
  
"Lily?"  
  
Lily spun around so fast that she knocked right into James. She could feel her anger rising as she watched him stand there with a dumb look on his face. She had every urge to rip those annoying, untidy strands of hair right out of his head.  
  
"You have a lot of nerve, Potter," she said quietly, in a dangerous tone. James didn't say anything, and looked at the ground. For some reason, this annoyed Lily even more. "So NOW you don't have anything to say, eh? Don't have any more rude or dirty comments to make?"  
  
"Lily, I'll straighten out all the rumors, I promise-"  
  
"That's ALL you ever think about! How highly other people think about you, your image, your reputation!"  
  
"I'm thinking about YOUR reputation!" James said defensively.  
  
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT MY REPUTATION!" Lily shouted. "It doesn't bother me too much what people are saying or thinking. What bothers me, and DISGUSTS me, is that someone could actually be so inconsiderate and egotistical!"  
  
"Lils, I wasn't thinking straight. . .you had just embarrassed me, and-"  
  
"Oh yes, you suffer a little blow to you ego, so you have to find a way to fix it. So by making yourself once again look like a King, and reassuring everyone that there isn't a girl that you can't get, you gain back points to your ego. . .so now damage done! Because NO ONE can insult a Marauder. . .isn't that one of your favorite lines?"  
  
"Lily, I'm sorry," James said shamefully.  
  
"So now that you've gotten everyone to believe that you can get me, I guess your mission is completed. You can rest easy now, Potter, and go back to snogging all of your little fans."  
  
"Lily, I wasn't trying to prove anything! I like you!" James said pleadingly. Lily closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry.  
  
"Regardless of what the rest of the school thinks, you and I both know that nothing happened last night, or any night. So I just hope you remember that you DIDN'T get me, and you never WILL get me! Not that it matters to you. . .all you care about is what everyone else thinks of you."  
  
"That's not true! I don't care about what they think of me - I told you I'll take care of all the rumors. I just care about what you think of me." James said in a tone of desperation. Lily opened her eyes and looked at him.  
  
"You want to know what I think? I believe I already told you what I think about you, many times. But okay, I'll just sum it all up for you. Basically you're a bastard, a stupid child whose head is bigger than the rest of your body. You couldn't change even if you wanted to, and you're a disgrace to the human race!" she shouted. James felt a weight tugging at his heart as he watched Lily break into tears.  
  
"You're right Lily, I'm everything you say I am. But if you would just give me a chance, I could ch-"  
  
"YOU'LL NEVER CHANGE! Didn't you hear me before? You CAN'T change! Your ego controls you! So just do me a favor, Potter -"Lily furiously wiped her tears away from her eyes and said softly, "Stay away from me. Please." She looked James in the eye one last time, before quickly leaving the room.  
  
James didn't know how long he stood there for, staring at the spot where Lily had just been. He was sure he was dying, for his heart had been shattered, and he was finding it very difficult to breathe.  
  
Author's Note: Well hope u guys liked the chapter! R&R thanks! 


	7. Full Moon

Author's Note: Hey keep reviewing please!  And does anyone know why our story won't show up automatically on the lists whenever we update it? 

****

**Chapter Seven**

            Almost a month had passed by, though to Lily it felt like much less.  The days dragged on so slowly, and Lily was sure that this was so far the worst year at Hogwarts.  The only thing she had to look forward to was her family visiting her in three weeks.  Her mother had sent her an owl saying they were so excited, and couldn't wait to see her and Hogwarts.  Her mother was especially keen on meeting all Lily's friends.  

            "Lily!" Lily looked up at the sound of her name.  She saw Bridget and Annabelle hovering over her, frowns on their faces.

            "You've been moping there for more than an hour!" Bridget said worriedly.

            "Yeah, doing nothing!" Annabelle added.  Lily sighed and looked around the lively common room.  Everyone seemed to be doing something – she was the only one slouched in an armchair, lost in thoughts. 

            "Where's Kailyn?" Lily asked, wanting to get off the topic of herself.  She watched Bridget and Annabelle exchange smirks.

            "She's, er, with Sirius." Annabelle giggled.  Lily suddenly sat upright and looked at her best friends.

            "She's with Sirius?  What is she doing with Sirius?" she asked.  Bridget and Annabelle began to giggle even harder.

            "We don't know!  She came back into the common room with him after Quidditch practice, and they were just talking for a bit.  And then all of a sudden they just get up and leave together!" Bridget replied excitedly.

            "Just her and Sirius?" Lily asked. 

            "Yes!" Bridget and Annabelle chirped together.  Lily smiled.  She had noticed that Kailyn had recently taken to staring at Sirius whenever he was around, and now remembered vaguely that she had mentioned him quite a bit during the last few weeks.  But Lily had been too wrapped up in her own miseries to ask any questions or come to any real conclusions about it.  

            "They would look so cute together!" Lily said, trying to sound as happy as she could.  She really was glad that at least Kailyn was having a good time.  At times Lily wanted to kick herself for being in such a depressed mood just because of one stupid boy.  She had not spoken to James ever since that night in the Head common room when she told him to stay away from her, and James had done a good job of listening to her. 

            "Lils, are you alright?" Bridget asked softly.  Lily looked at her in surprise.  James was the only person that ever called her "Lils". 

            "I'm fine," Lily replied, smiling. 

            "Oh come off it, Lily!  We're your best friends!  We know you haven't been fine ever since you told James to leave you alone. . .and he did," Annabelle said, in somewhat disbelief.  

            "We know you miss him," Bridget said quietly.  Lily badly wanted to say that that wasn't true, but she couldn't.  She did miss James – her life had somehow become so boring without him in it.  She missed his cocky grins, and his witty remarks.  She missed him asking her out every other week, and how he never let it get to him that she said no every single time.  She missed how he was constantly messing up his stupid hair, and how he would show-off like a little boy.  She even missed screaming at him whenever he hexed someone or tried to pull a prank.  But most of all she missed the wonderful person he could sometimes be, under all that ego and stupidity, just waiting to be uncovered.  But in a way she was glad it had ended like this.  She had been starting to fall for him. . .and that would have been a disaster.

            "Lily, it wouldn't be so terrible to give him a chance." Annabelle said.

            "A chance to what?  Break my heart?" Lily asked pleasantly.  

            "He wouldn't break your heart!" Bridget said hurriedly.

            "He loves you!" Annabelle cried.  The three girls went silent for a little while, a little surprised at what Annabelle had said.

            "Annabelle, have you gone mad?  That boy doesn't know how to love.  You think he runs after all those girls to fall in love?  He's just in it for the chase." Lily finally said firmly.  Bridget slowly shook her head.

            "I think it's different with you, Lily.  He really likes you, he's waiting for you!  He hasn't gone out with any other girl this year!" she said.

            "Maybe they've finally figured out what a thick idiot he is," Lily muttered.  Bridget and Annabelle gave her weary looks.  "Listen guys, I know you're trying to help me.  But I wouldn't be happy even if I was with him.  Because after he gets me, the chase will be over. . .he'll get bored, and break it off with me to go chase some new girl.  And then I'd be completely miserable!"

            "You're completely miserable now," Annabelle pointed out quietly.

            "At least I can control my feelings now!" Lily said angrily, "I'll admit that I was starting to feel something for him, but now I can make it go away easily!  If I were to go out with him, I would fall in love, entirely lose control over my emotions. . .you know how I get."  She frowned at Bridget and Annabelle, who were exchanging glances every few seconds.  "WHAT?" she said exasperatedly.  

            "Well, don't get mad Lily, but we still think its way more than just 'starting to feel something for him'.  I mean, he's been the main topic of all your conversations for the past year." Annabelle said lightly.

            "And you look as if your life is falling apart. . .because he's not in it anymore." Bridget added.  Lily looked up at the ceiling angrily.  She hated it when her friends could just come to conclusions about all her mixed up emotions as if it were the easiest thing in the world.  She hated it even more this time, because she knew they were right. 

            "If he really cared for me. . .why would he leave me alone?" Lily asked, her voice slightly trembling.

            "Because you told him to!" Annabelle exclaimed.

            "Well he never listened before!  Why now?" Lily said softly.

* * *

"Thank God it's finally full moon!" Sirius sang, "I was starting to get SO bored!"  The Marauders were walking through a secret passageway that led to the kitchens, each carrying an armful of food and drinks.

            "It's not as great as you make it sound, Sirius." Remus mumbled, his face much paler than usual.

            "Maybe not to YOU, my grumpy little friend, but it's a party for me!" Sirius replied happily.  

            "You know, you don't have to wait for full moon to do it!" Remus snapped.

            "Oh, so I'll just go to Transfiguration class as a big black dog, shall I?" Sirius said sarcastically.

            "No, but you could – hang on, someone's coming," Remus whispered, peering at the Marauder's Map.  

            "Who? Filch?" Sirius asked quietly.  The boys were standing at the exit of the passageway, listening cautiously.  They had not taken James's invisibility cloak, since it would not cover themselves as well as the food.

            "No, er, Lily. . ." Remus said, glancing sideways at James.  James, who had been lost in his own thoughts up till now, peered out of the passageway.  He smiled as he watched Lily scold two second-years for snogging behind the suits of armor.  Then suddenly she turned to face someone else.  

            "What are you two doing in the Gryffindor corridor?" Lily demanded.  James heard soft snickers, and saw Lily reach for her wand.

            "You better watch yourself, Mudblood," a familiar voice sneered.  Without thinking, James lunged out of the passageway, only to be quickly pulled back by Sirius and Remus.

            For a second, Lily looked as if she were going to hex the person, with her wand pointed right at them.  But then with a disgusted face, she turned and walked away.  The other person laughed softly, and went the other way.

            "I only caught a glimpse of the bugger, but I think it was Malfoy!" James said angrily.  

            "Yes, well, how about next time you don't do anything stupid to get us all caught!" Sirius said hoarsely.  

            "We don't have much time left!  We have to go now!" Remus said urgently, looking sick, "If Sirius hadn't taken so damn long to join us. . ." 

 Sirius grinned, remembering his little walk with Kailyn around the corridors.  She was very interesting to talk to, not to mention beautiful to look at.  

Checking the Marauders Map every few seconds, the boys hurried downstairs towards the entrance of the school.  James conjured a sack with his wand, and stuffed all the food into it.  They relaxed slightly once they were outside, and slowed down their pace.  It was dark enough for them not to be seen easily.

            "Ah it's been a while since the last time we did this!" Sirius said fondly, "Hey Prongs, your mum started getting awfully suspicious.  Guess I shouldn't have walked around the house as a dog so often." Sirius started to laugh, but stopped when he saw that James was not even listening.

            "Okay Prongs, this is getting annoying!  Just go talk to her!" Sirius snapped irritably, nudging James so that he would listen.  James looked at him blankly.

            "But she told me to leave her alone," he replied glumly.

            "She's BEEN telling you to leave her alone!  She's been saying it since fifth year!  You never listened before!" Sirius said exasperatedly, with an annoyed expression.

            "Yeah, Prongs, I was wondering about that too.  Why'd you suddenly give up?' Remus asked.  James sighed, kicking the ground as he walked.

            "You didn't see her this time.  She was serious," he said.

            "No, actually I am!" Sirius joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.  Remus and Peter groaned at how old that joke was. 

            "So you've given up for good?" Remus asked, shooting Sirius an annoyed look.

            "I guess so," James said moodily, "I guess I should've given up a long time ago.  I made her cry, Moony.  So now I owe it to her to do whatever she says."  The Marauders walked on in silence, nobody quite knowing what to say.  James was soon lost in his own thoughts again.  Ever since he had stopped talking to Lily, it seemed as if now he thought of her even more often than he did before.  He couldn't stop thinking about her, and hated himself for messing things up so badly.  He had even stopped hexing people and started trying really hard not to say anything cocky, but he knew it was no use – Lily was convinced that he could never change.

* * *

            Lily stormed into the girls' dormitory and flung onto the seat next to the window.  On top of everything else that was going bad today, Lucius Malfoy went and made it worse.  Over the years, she had learned to ignore mean remarks such as "mudblood", but today it annoyed her so badly that she almost hexed him.  But hexing people was something James would do, and Lily wasn't about to stoop down to his level.  She stared out of the window at the bright, full moon.  Although it was very dark, the moon shone onto the grounds, illuminating everything.  Just as she was about to get up, Lily caught sight of four people walking towards the Whomping Willow tree.  Frowning, she peered out of the window to try and get a closer look.  They certainly did not look like teachers, and students were not supposed to be walking around near the Forbidden Forest, especially after hours.  Two of them were tall with dark hair, one was slightly shorter with much lighter hair, and the other was short and chubby, and had to jog to keep up with the other three.  They looked remarkably like. . .The Marauders.

            Practically half of Lily's body was now sticking out of the window, and she watched them curiously.  They were getting dangerously close to the Whomping Willow tree, which was a very stupid thing to do.  (A/N: I don't exactly know how the Whomping Willow passageway thing worked, so I'm just going to guess)  Suddenly one of the boys had disappeared, while the other three stood standing at a safe distance, the tree shaking its branches violently.  Lily gasped as she watched the tree abruptly stop moving, and the three remaining boys walking towards it.  She nearly fell out the window when she saw one of the boys turned around cautiously, his face fully exposed in the bright moonlight.  Even from this distance, Lily could see his stupid hair sticking up in the back.  She watched in amazement as the boys disappeared into the ground, one by one.

            "I'm going mad," Lily mumbled in disbelief.  She could not imagine how they had just disappeared like that – unless there was some sort of hidden passageway.  In a mix of curiosity as well as wanting to get James in an enormous amount of trouble, Lily pulled on her robe and quietly went downstairs.  There were a few people still in the common room, but no one paid her any attention.  Kailyn was in the shower, and Bridget and Annabelle were sleeping.  Checking to make sure no one was watching, Lily slipped out of the common room and headed downstairs.  

            Mr. Filch was patrolling the corridors, with his cat, Mrs. Norris, running alongside of him.  Lily groaned, quickly ducking behind a suit of armor.  She had no idea how four boys had managed to simply walk out of the castle and not risk getting caught.  After Mr. Filch had moved to another corridor, and Lily checked to make sure no other teachers were coming, she opened the heavy castle door, and ran outside. 

 The autumn coldness stung through Lily's light nightdress and robe.  She shivered as she ran across the wide grounds, cursing herself for being so curious.  She finally approached the Whomping Willow tree with caution.  The tree was yet standing abnormally still, instead of shaking murderously like it usually did.  Lily felt an eerie chill as she crouched down and examined the ground near the tree's roots.  She soon found what she was looking for – the entrance to a passageway.  After a minute of debating whether she should be stupid enough to blindly follow the Marauders, she climbed into the passageway.  The passageway was dark and incredibly narrow.  Lily nervously crawled through it, frequently almost turning around and going back out.  After what like an eternity, Lily came to the end of the passageway, and climbed out.  She was standing in an old and decaying room in some sort of a house.  (A/N: I totally forgot what the Shrieking Shack looks like, so I'm just gonna use my imagination!)

Lily walked out of the room and into the corridor.  There was a rusty staircase at the end.  As Lily climbed up the staircase, she suddenly stiffened, her heart racing.  A loud wailing howl echoed throughout the house.  Lily suddenly realized where she was – the Shrieking Shack.  She slowly proceeded up the stairs, only comforted by the fact that the Marauders would never come to a haunted house unless they knew it was safe.  But then again, they were pretty stupid, and would do anything in the spur of the moment. . .

She stopped at the top of the stairs, looking at the three bedrooms in the corridor.  Suddenly a loud bark came from the room farthest down the corridor.  Deciding that the bark did not sound angry or violent, Lily walked towards the room where it came from.  When she stopped in front of the room and peered in, she felt a little light-headed.  A big black dog was running around in circles, with a little rat scurrying after it, jumping up in attempts of catching the dog's tail.  It almost looked as if they were playing a game.  

Lily was about to smile, when she caught sight of something that made her stop breathing.  A big werewolf was striding towards her, his long teeth exposed as he growled fiercely.  The dog and rat were too caught up in their game to notice.  Lily wanted to run, but she could not feel her legs.  Her heart had stopped beating, and her head was spinning. . . she saw a flash of James's face in her head. . .the werewolf was eyeing her hungrily now.  Then in a split second, the werewolf pounced.  Lily opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.  And then, like a flash of light, a white stag jumped in front of her.  Lily watched in shock and bewilderment as the stag and werewolf fought.  The black dog had come to help hold back the angry werewolf, who was still occasionally snapping its long teeth towards Lily's direction.  

Just as Lily thought she was going to pass out, the stag stopped in front of her, and knelt down, looking at her with its intense eyes.  Lily climbed onto its back, and wrapped her arms around its neck.  She clung tightly to the stag, as it swiftly galloped out of the house, and into the cloudless night.


	8. A Change of Luck

**Chapter Eight:**

            Lily's eyes were widely open as the stag trotted through Hogsmeade, and stopped in a nearby field.  It bent down, and Lily slid off his back.  She sat on the soft grass, rubbing her arms as she shivered in the cool breeze.  She turned to look at the beautiful stag, but it had disappeared.  Standing in its place was James Potter.

"What – how – where did you come from?" Lily gasped, gaping at James in shock.  James knelt down beside her and looked into her eyes worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.  Lily was still trembling, although James wasn't sure if it was because of what had just happened or because it was cold.  But her eyes had a look of horror in them, and her face was very pale.

"Where did that stag go?" Lily asked, feeling dazed as she noticed that both James and that stag had the same deep hazel eyes.

"You should get some rest," James said, eyeing her worriedly.  Lily felt slightly annoyed that James was ignoring her questions about the stag.  

"That stag saved my life.  Where is it?" she asked, raising her voice.  She felt tears sting her eyes as she remembered the werewolf snapping its teeth at her ferociously. 

"If I tell you, do you promise not to get the stag in trouble?" James asked.  

"What?" Lily looked at James as if he were crazy.  "Why would I want to get a stag in trouble?  And why do you care about what happens to it?"  Lily's head was spinning with questions and confusion.

"Well don't you always say that the only person I care about is myself?" James smiled lightly.  Lily stared at James, feeling even more dazed than before.

"You're telling me that you can turn into a stag?" she asked shakily.  James nodded his head.  "There are only seven registered Animagi – you're not one of them."  Lily faintly recalled how the Marauders never paid any attention in Transfiguration, but always received the top marks in the class.

"I'm an illegal Animagi.  No one is supposed to know." James replied.

"And that big dog and rat?" Lily asked, feeling very dizzy. 

"Sirius and Peter," James smiled.  Lily knew she would pass out any second.

"But – how?  Human transfiguration is extremely difficult.  It takes years to do it," she pointed out.

"Yeah, it took us almost four years to get it right.  But its not as difficult as McGonagall makes it sound." James said, with a hint of his usual arrogance in his voice.  

"So you guys fancy hanging around with a werewolf?" Lily asked incredulously.  James laughed softly.

"Remus got bitten by a werewolf when he was little.  He turns into one every full moon.  Dumbledore set up a passageway leading to the Shrieking Shack so that Remus could go there to transform.  He had to stay up there all alone, so we decided to help him out.  Since werewolves aren't too dangerous to other animals. . ."  James trailed off when he noticed Lily looking at him in a way she never had before.  Her eyes were full of. . .admiration and awe.  She almost looked like she was going to cry.

"You learned how to become an Animagus just so Remus wouldn't have to be alone?" she said softly, "That is the nicest thing I've ever heard anyone do."

"Er, well it has plenty of benefits for us." James said quickly, startled that Lily was actually praising him.

"All these years I've said you don't care about anyone besides yourself, but I was so wrong.  You care about your friends – even more than most other people do."  Lily said warmly.  She felt herself being drawn into his eyes, her heart skipping beats.

"I care about you too," James said softly.  He could have spent the whole night looking into Lily's eyes, without even laying a finger on her.

"Thank you, for saving my life," Lily whispered, kissing him on the cheek.  She closed her eyes, inhaling the smell of his cologne.  She was closer to him than she had ever been before, and could even see the tiny hairs standing up on his neck.

"How did you find the passageway?" James suddenly asked.  Lily quickly pulled away from him, and started playing with the blades of grass.

"I, um, saw you going into it.  I guess my curiosity got the better of me," she admitted, her face turning red.

"Wanted to get me in trouble?" James smirked.

"Yeah, something like that." Lily laughed.  She shivered as a gust of icy wind blew over her.  James pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly as the wind continued to blow fiercely.  Lily snuggled against him, feeling warm and safe.

"I don't think you can get back to school tonight.  It's not safe for you to go back into the Shrieking Shack until tomorrow morning." James said.  Lily nodded, having forgotten all about going back to Hogwarts.  She was quite content staying with James instead.  

"Come with me – I know where you can spend the night." James said.  He slowly stood up, lifting Lily up with him.  Lily followed him off the field, and onto the streets of Hogsmeade.  They walked in silence until they reached Zonko's Joke Shop.  Lily looked at James quizzically as he leaned towards the door and muttered something.  Suddenly, the door swung open.

"How did you do that?" Lily demanded.  James took her hand, and led her inside the shop.

"The Marauders have been in here so many times.  We know everything about this place." James replied.

"Is that how you guys have so many supplies from here?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"We don't steal," James said reassuringly, "We wouldn't do that to Zonko's."  He led Lily to a small room in the back of the shop.  Lily spotted a small bed in the corner. 

"You'll be safe here." James said, releasing Lily's hand.  Lily nodded and walked over to the bed.  She sat down on it, glancing around the dark room.  

"Goodnight, then," James said, turning to leave the room.

"Wait, where are you going?" Lily cried.  The thought of spending the night in Zonko's Joke Shop alone didn't exactly thrill her.

"Scared, Evans?" James joked, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"No, but I wouldn't want to still be sleeping here when the manager walks in tomorrow morning!" Lily said defensively.  

"Calm down, I wasn't going to leave you here alone.  I'll be in the main room." James said.  Lily grabbed the blanket from the bed, and threw it onto the floor next to her.

"You sleep right there.  Who knows what kind of crazy people wander around Hogsmeade at night!" Lily said.  James looked at her in amusement, before walking over to the blanket.  Lily felt guilty as she watched him spread the blanket out over the wooden floor.

"Here, you can have the bed.  If it wasn't for my stupidity, you would be back having fun with your friends," she said.  

"No, you have the bed, I'm fine.  Besides, who said this wasn't fun?" James replied with a grin.  Lily laid down on the bed, looking over the edge at James.

"You will wake up on time tomorrow, right?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah, I'll wake you up as soon as it's safe to go back to the Shrieking Shack.  We should get back to school before people start to wake up." James answered.

"Okay, then.  Goodnight James," Lily said, curling up to try and stay warm.  James watched her for a while, and then stood up with the blanket in his hands.

"Goodnight Lily," he said, draping the blanket over her.  

"No, James, it's okay – " Lily gasped as James suddenly transformed into the white stag right in front of her.  Lily watched him lay down on the floor in amazement.

"Prongs," she said softly.

* * *

            "Hey Lils, wake up!"

            Lily opened one of her eyes and squinted up at James, who was standing over her.  She had been having the most fascinating dream – she and James were flying over London on his broomstick, taking in all the sights.  Then they dropped by Lily's house, where her parents insisted they stay for dinner.  They spent the whole night talking and laughing – even Petunia seemed interested, and was unbelievably kind to James. 

            "James, I just fell asleep," she muttered, annoyed at James for disrupting her perfect dream.

            "Well I'm sorry Princess, but we've got to go before Hogwarts wakes up." James replied, taking Lily's blanket away from her.

            A few minutes later, they were walking through the front door of the Shrieking Shack.  Lily walked several inches behind James, glancing around nervously.

            "Are you sure Remus is back to normal now?" she asked.  James laughed and nodded.  They went to the entrance of the passageway, where the rest of the Marauders were already standing.  Remus strode over to Lily worriedly.

            "I'm really sorry, Lily.  I can't control what I do when I. . .transform.  Are you okay?" he apologized.  

            "Don't worry about it, Remus," Lily smiled.  

            "So where were you two all this time?" Sirius asked politely.

            "At Zonko's Joke Shop.  James said it wouldn't be safe to come back here until morning." Lily replied.  

            "Oh, I see." Sirius said with that same politeness, trying to keep his face straight.  The moment Lily turned around, Sirius turned to James and raised his eyebrows. 

            "Shall we go, then?" James said, trying to ignore Sirius, who was still grinning at him madly.  They went through the passageway, and quickly walked back into Hogwarts in silence.  There was only one person in the common room when they arrived, who had apparently fallen asleep while studying.

            "They'll be waking up soon," Remus said, glancing at the boys' dormitory.  

            "Yeah, you better go up and pretend you were there all along." James said, turning to face Lily.  

            "Yes, alright.  Er, thanks again James." Lily said, abruptly flinging her arms around James's neck.  James, looking thoroughly startled, awkwardly wrapped his arms around her waist.  Sirius, Remus and Peter watched in shock and amusement. 

            "Goodbye, then." Lily said, her face fully red.  She started to walk towards the girls' dormitory, then looked back and said, "I won't tell anyone."  Then, still looking embarrassed, she quickly went upstairs.  James sank into the nearest armchair, vaguely wondering whether this was all a dream.

            "So!  Had a good night, then?" Sirius grinned.  Peter stared at James eagerly, hoping to hear a detailed account of what had happened.

            "She kissed me on the cheek!" James said happily, looking slightly dazed.  Sirius and Peter's faces fell.

            "Er, is that all?" Sirius asked. 

            "No!" James said irritably, "She didn't pull away when I held her, she told me I was a nice caring person, she thanked me for saving her life, she let me hold her hand, AND she gave me a hug just now."

            "Yes, we caught that bit." Sirius laughed.  

            "Oh and she even wanted me to sleep on the floor next to her!" James said dreamily.  He shot a dirty look at Sirius, who was smirking.  "She definitely wants me," James grinned.

            "Don't get too cocky yet, Prongs." Remus said. 

            "So did you ask her out?" Sirius asked earnestly.  

            "No," James replied.  Sirius groaned.

            "How is it that you ask her out every time she's angry with you, but then the one time she's actually pleased with you, you don't do anything?" he asked.

            "She would have thought I was trying to claim my reward or something," James said.

            "So?" Peter asked.

            "SO, she wouldn't like that." James remarked.  Remus looked at him and smiled.

            "Well I'll be damned, Prongs.  You're finally learning."

* * *

            After breakfast, James was in such a good mood, he practically skipped to Transfiguration class.  Lily had been exceptionally nice to him in the Great Hall, smiling at him the entire time.  She had obviously kept her word about not telling anyone, because her friends looked shocked at Lily's sudden friendly attitude towards James.  In fact, the entire table looked quite surprised at how well the two of them were getting along, as if they were old friends.

            "Prongs, McGonagall is going to think you're high or something," Sirius muttered.  James grinned and grabbed a flyer off the wall.  

            "What's that?" Peter asked curiously.

            "Next trip to Hogsmeade is next week." James replied, reading the flyer.  

            "That's perfect – why don't you ask Lily to go with you?" Remus suggested.

            "She might actually say yes this time," Sirius smirked.  James's face lit up at this idea.  He ran the rest of the way to Transfiguration class, wanting to ensure a seat next to Lily.  As he walked through the door, he spotted a boy just about to sit next to Lily.  There were no more available seats anywhere near her.  Checking to make sure Lily wasn't watching, James carefully pointed his wand at the boy, and muttered something under his breath.  All of a sudden, halfway through sitting down, the boy stood up.  Lily gave him a quizzical look.

            "I forgot something," the boy said vaguely, scratching his head dumbly as he walked away.  James couldn't help grinning as he pocketed his watch, and walked over to the empty seat next to Lily.  

            "Lily," he said pleasantly, sitting down. 

            "Hello James," she replied, looking at him suspiciously.  She wondered for a moment if he had anything to do with that boy's odd behavior.  But then he flashed her a smile, and all her inquiries faded away.  Professor McGonagall began her lesson, just as the rest of the Marauders barged into the classroom.  She glared at them in annoyance.

            "And where is your partner in crime, Mr. Black?" she demanded.

            "Why, I'm already here, Professor McGonagall!" James said sweetly.  Professor McGonagall stared at him in surprise.

            "Right. . .very well, we shall begin," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.  She began talking about Human Transfiguration again.

            "So Lily, are you going to be busy next week?" James whispered, leaning his head towards Lily.  

            "Which day next week, James?" Lily whispered back, copying down notes from the board.

            "Er," James glanced at the Hogsmeade flyer under the desk, "Saturday?"

            "Why?" Lily asked.

            "Well, I thought. . .I was wondering. . .would. . .if. . ."

            "MR. POTTER!  Kindly pay attention!" Professor McGonagall snapped.  James rubbed his temples, wondering why it was suddenly so difficult to ask Lily a simple question.

            "I was wondering if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me next Saturday," he said quickly.  Lily dropped her quill and looked at him.

            "Are you asking me on a date, Potter?" she asked sharply.  James felt as if something heavy had just been dropped on his head.

            "Er, yes?" he replied hesitantly.  He watched as Lily scribbled down more notes.  He should have known not to get his hopes high.  James looked out the window glumly, seriously considering hopping on his broom and flying to Fiji.  Something suddenly tickled his ear, and he jumped in surprise.  He turned and looked at Lily, who was twirling her feather quill in her fingers.  

            "Alright then," Lily said suddenly, not looking at him.

            "Alright, what?" James asked moodily.  Lily gave him a quick smile.

            "Alright, I'll go with you to Hogsmeade," she replied.  James stared at her in surprise.

            "You will?" he said excitedly, a little louder than he had planned.

            "MR. POTTER!  ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?" Professor McGonagall shouted.  

            "Yes, professor," James replied, his eyes still fixed on Lily's face.  Professor McGonagall did not look amused.

            "Well then maybe you would like to tell us, Mr. Potter, how many registered Animagi there are as of now?" she asked, her eyes glaring.  James grinned at Lily.

            "Seven!"

Author's Note: Thanks for continuing to review!! ~Bananas


	9. Hogsmeade

**Chapter Nine**:

            Lily opened her eyes and saw Bridget and Annabelle sitting on her bed, watching her anxiously.

            "She's awake!" Bridget exclaimed.  Lily looked around the room wearily.  The curtains had been flung open, letting in the bright rays of sunshine.

            "It's Saturday," Lily mumbled, turning over to fall back asleep.  She had been having that same wonderful dream where she and James visited her house.  

            "It's also the day of your date with James Potter!" Annabelle screeched.  Lily jumped in surprise.  Her memory was not too good in the morning.

            "This is SO exciting!" Bridget cried, clapping her hands together in excitement. 

            "It's not like he asked YOU to go with him," Kailyn muttered from her bed, annoyed at all the noise this early in the morning. 

            "Shut up Kailyn!  Go back to dreaming about Sirius!" Bridget snapped.  Kailyn blushed, and covered her face with her pillow.  

            "How are you going to do your hair?" Annabelle demanded, eyeing Lily's hair curiously.  Lily wished they would stop making such a big deal, because she was starting to feel nervous.  She had never gone on a date with a boy like James Potter before.  Actually, she didn't have that much experience in dating at all.  And James was the total opposite – he had dated half the girls in school.  Lily suddenly felt sick as she wondered how she could compete with the usual types of girls James took on dates.  

            "Just think. . .in a few hours you'll be James Potter's girlfriend!" Bridget sighed dreamily.  Lily stared at her blankly.

            "What are you talking about?" she asked.  

            "He's going to ask you to go out with him, of course!  To be his girlfriend!" Annabelle shrieked.  

            "And you WILL say yes this time, won't you Lily?" Bridget asked threateningly.  Lily's head began to spin a bit.  James had asked her to go out with him so many times before, and it had always been so easy to say no.  But it had never felt real. . .Lily was always convinced that James wasn't really serious.  But now. . .now she was really going on a date with him.  

            "Lily!" Annabelle said sharply.

            "I don't know.  I mean, what if he just does it to prove to everyone that there isn't a single girl he can't get?  Besides, for the last three years I've told everyone that he is a worthless piece of scum, and everyone knows I would never go out with him.  If I say yes, I'll be going against everything I've ever said!" Lily replied, searching frantically for explanations.  The simple truth was that she couldn't bear to get hurt.  Not by him.  

            "Lily," Bridget sighed, "we've told you over and over that he likes you for real!  He's not doing it to add to his accomplishments, and he's not going to hurt you!  And trust me, everyone knows you don't really hate him."

            "And people change, Lily.  I think James really has changed.  And he did it for you!" Annabelle added.  James really did seem to have changed a little.  Lily had not seen him hex anyone for about a month, and he was much less arrogant than he used to be.  Lily smiled, imagining what it would be like to be James's girlfriend.  To have him hold her like he did that full moon night, and to kiss her. . .

            "Lily!  You've got to start getting ready now!" Bridget said impatiently.  Lily snapped out of her daze, and got out of bed.  She could not help grinning madly as she walked into the bathroom.

* * *

            "Prongs, you've been in there for almost an hour!  There are other people waiting, you know!" Sirius yelled, banging on the bathroom door.

            "I don't know why he didn't just use the Head bathroom," Remus sighed.  

            "He's not even doing anything in there.  Just standing in front of the mirror, trying to decide which angle he looks best in," Sirius muttered.

            "Probably practicing what he's going to say," Remus laughed.  Finally, the bathroom door swung open.  James walked out, wearing dark blue robes that made him look even more handsome.  His hair still stuck up in the back, and he now nervously rumpled it even more.

            "You look really good, James!" Peter squeaked admiringly.  

            "Jealous of Lily, are you Wormtail?" Sirius smirked.  Peter turned bright red, and ran into the bathroom.  (A/N: lol I hate Wormtail!)  James sat on his bed and stared straight at the air in front of him.

            "Aww looks like ol' Prongsie is nervous!" Sirius teased.  

            "You alright, James?" Remus asked.

            "I still can't believe she said yes," James muttered, still looking dazed, "I'm finally going on a date with her!"

            "Well, you've waited long enough!" Remus remarked.  

            "Are you going to ask her out?" Sirius asked, his eyes gleaming. 

            "Er, I don't know." James replied. 

            "What do you mean you don't know?" Sirius demanded.

            "I don't know if I want to ruin it.  This may be the best day of my life – I don't want it to end with her rejecting me for the hundredth time." James explained.

            "Well, she did agree to go to Hogsmeade with you." Remus said thoughtfully.

            "So she'll agree to go out with you as well!" Sirius concluded.  James looked at him hopefully.  How wonderful it would be to have Lily Evans as his girlfriend.

* * *

            About an hour later, all the students were gathered on the school grounds, waiting to go to Hogsmeade.  

            "There he is!" Bridget shrieked excitedly.  Lily turned to see the Marauders walking towards them.  Her stomach fluttered when she saw James in his blue robes.  She tuned everyone out as she watched him approach her.

            "Hello Lily," James said with a smile.  Lily swallowed nervously, praying that she could still talk normally.

            "Hello James," she said.  Sirius looked pained at how formal they were acting.  He casually swung his arm around Kailyn's shoulders, as if setting an example.

            "Shall we go, then?" he grinned.

            On the way to Hogsmeade, Lily had to put all her concentration into walking straight without tripping.  James didn't seem to notice, however, for he was nervously running through possible ideas for conversation in his head.

            "Hey Prongs, we need to get some more dungbombs!" Sirius said, heading towards Zonko's Joke Shop.  Lily followed James into the shop, wishing desperately that Bridget and Annabelle would stop giggling.  The clerk at the counter greeted the Marauders with a friendly smile.

            "Ah, run out of your usual supply, boys?" he greeted.  Sirius grinned, dropping a bag of dungbombs onto the counter.

            "Just these for today.  We used up quite a bit in the Slytherin bathroom last week," he said.  The clerk laughed, and threw in a pack of Exploding Biscuits for free.  They walked out of the shop, and stood outside awkwardly.

            "Right, then!  Ladies," Sirius looked smiled at Kailyn, Bridget and Annabelle, "would you care to join me, Remus and Peter for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?" They all looked at James and Lily, with embarrassing grins on their faces. 

            "We'd love to!" Kailyn answered, giving Lily an encouraging smile.

            "Have fun, Lily!" Sirius grinned. 

            "Don't do anything stupid, Prongs." Remus muttered softly so that only James would hear.  Then they walked off towards the Three Broomsticks, leaving James and Lily alone.  Lily looked at the ground, hoping she wouldn't turn red.

            "Er, shall we go to Madam Puddifoot's, then?" James asked, amazed at how stupid he sounded.

            "Oh yes, that would be nice!" Lily replied, remembering how pretty the small coffee shop was.  They walked towards it in silence, Lily noticing James muttering things under his breath.  She suddenly felt very faint, as she realized that Madam Puddifoot's was always filled with only couples, kissing and holding hands and looking into each other's eyes.  Lily felt nervous as she wondered exactly what James expected her to do on this date.  Not that she would mind kissing him – she had kissed him in her dreams, and it had been wonderful.  But James had kissed so many girls before - surely he would compare her to the others.  And she was pretty sure she wasn't so good at kissing, since she did not have too much experience with it.  Lily nervously stepped into the coffee shop as James held the door open for her.  She followed him to a small table towards the back of the shop, trying not to notice that some couples had even stopped kissing just to watch James and Lily, and excitedly whisper about them.

            "Hello, James!" Madam Puddifoot beamed.  Lily tried not to get jealous – clearly James had been here many times before.  She could not really imagine James coming here, though.  She had always supposed that his date would follow him around with the rest of the Marauders, watching them as if they were royalty.  

            "I'll have a coffee and a slice of crumbcake," James said.  Madam Puddifoot nodded and turned to Lily.

            "Er, I'll have the same thing." Lily said.  Madam Puddifoot smiled and turned back to James.

            "You haven't come here in such a long time, James!  I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you!" she laughed.

            "Yeah well, I was having a bit of trouble getting the girl I wanted to come here with me." James replied.  Lily was sure her face had turned redder than ever before.  Madam Puddifoot laughed and walked away to the kitchen.  

            "So. . .what's new with you?" James asked, unable to think of a single charming thing to say.

            "Er, nothing really.  How about you?" Lily replied dumbly.  

            "Nothing." James said.  They sat in silence for a few seconds.

            "Oh, you did really great in the last Quidditch match!" Lily finally said.  James's eyes lit up as he smiled at her.

            "Thanks!  Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff yesterday, so we'll be playing them in the Halloween match when all the families come," he said, all his awkward feelings slowly drifting away.

            "Oh yes, that should be fun.  Mum has always wanted to see Hogwarts!" Lily exclaimed.  Madam Puddifoot arrived with their tea and crumb cakes, and set it down on the table.  

            "Yeah, my sister can't wait to come back and visit it." James said, eating a rather large piece of crumb cake. 

            "You have a sister?" Lily asked, sipping her coffee.

            "Yeah, she's 23.  She works at Gringotts.  She'd love to meet you," James said.  Lily looked at him and smiled.

            "I'd love to meet her too.  I never knew you had a sister."

            "Yeah, you only know the bad things about me." James joked.  Lily laughed, feeling guilty about all the mean things she had ever said about him. 

            "I have a sister too," she said.

            "Is she as beautiful as you are?" James asked, with his famous charming smile.  Lily felt her spine tingle as his hazel eyes looked straight into hers.

            "Er, we. . .we don't really get along too well. . ." Lily struggled to speak, wishing the tingling feeling would stop.  

            "Why not?" James asked.

            "Ever since I found out I was a witch. . .I don't know, she just started hating me." Lily replied.  

            "Well, I'll have to have a talk with her when she comes." James frowned.  Lily laughed.

            "The only way she'll come is if my parents force her to.  And don't worry about it James, I'm quite used to it by now," she said.  "Do you get along with your sister?"

            "Sometimes," James replied, "She's engaged to this stupid bloke who doesn't even have a real job.  I don't know what she sees in him.  There's a lot of tension going on in my house right now.  My dad threw a fit when she told him.  He always imagined that his daughter would marry a decent guy with a good job."

            "You want to be an Auror when you grow up?" Lily asked, remembering the conversation she had overheard on the first day of school.

            "Yeah, I hate the Dark Arts!  I would love to catch those bloody Death Eaters and put them away in Azkaban.  And Defense Against the Dark Arts is my favorite subject – along with Transfiguration." James grinned.  

            "I think you would make a good Auror." Lily said sincerely.  James would be perfect for the job – he was very brave and clever.  

            "You would be a good Auror too.  You know more spells and charms than anyone in school, and you're really quick at figuring things out." James said. 

            "I never thought about being an Auror.  I always thought I might like to become a teacher at Hogwarts." Lily admitted. 

            "A teacher?  So you can get ragged by annoying children all day?" James laughed.  

            "I only hope I wouldn't get stuck with a kid like you!" Lily joked. 

            "Lily, why did you hate me all these years?" James asked seriously. 

            "I never hated you, James." Lily said.

            "Then why didn't you like me?"

            Lily sighed, poking her crumb cake with her fork.  "I just didn't like how you thought you were better than everyone else, and how you thought you could do anything you wanted.  And you were the most arrogant boy I had ever seen."

            "I've tried to change.  Really, Lily, I've been trying really hard." James said.  Lily wanted to tear her gaze away from James's eyes, but she couldn't.  

            "I know you have.  I can see you have," she said softly.  She knew if she looked at him any longer, she would get the strong urge to lean over and kiss him.  She stared down at her crumb cake, hoping James didn't think she was stupid.  "Why me?" she suddenly asked, looking up at him again.

            "What?" James asked, looking a bit startled.

            "Why do you like me?  Why do you claim that you've changed for me?" Lily asked.  She knew she was ruining the mood completely, but she needed to hear it straight from him.  She stared at James expectantly, who looked as if he were pondering how to answer that question.  

            "Er, I just do?  I don't know how to answer that, Lily!  Why does anyone like anyone?"

            "Well, there are a lot of different possible reasons."

            "Er, you're smart, and funny. . .and unbelievably beautiful," James began, still looking startled at the sudden question.  Lily began blushing furiously.  "Ever since that day I saw you sitting by the lake, I couldn't take my eyes off you.  The way you made me feel was so new to me – I had never felt that way before.  There were so many times I thought I should just give up on you, and be happy with girls who could actually stand me.  But then I knew if I did that, I would never be able to feel this way again.  My grandmother, before she died, told me to never give up on love. . ." James stopped abruptly, realizing what he had just said.  Lily stared at him in shock.  She didn't even think he was capable of such feelings.  Here was the boy that played half the girls in school, never giving a damn whether he hurt any of them, just doing it for the thrill.  And now to see, he had all these deep feelings. . . for her?  It couldn't possibly be true.

            "I don't believe you," Lily said, in almost a whisper.  James slid his hand over Lily's, lacing his fingers with hers.

            "I don't care – I know its true," he said in the same soft tone as Lily.  James's eyes were warm and sincere, and he had a small smile on his mouth.  Lily felt her eyes well with tears.  'Oh, please don't cry now!' she pleaded with herself.  But this was just like all those romance novels she loved to read. . .all those romance movies she loved to watch.  Lily's heart was pounding wildly as James's fingers stroked her hand.  Suddenly, James took his gaze off her and looked past her towards the window.  Lily turned around and saw Sirius's face pressed against the window, wagging his eyebrows frantically and grinning like a clown.  Remus was shaking his head disapprovingly, Peter was staring in awe, Kailyn was whacking Sirius on the back of his head, and Bridget and Annabelle looked as if they would have strokes any minute now.  Lily felt the biggest temptation to take out her wand and hex every single one of them, for disrupting the moment, even though none of them had really done anything.

            "Are you done with your coffee?" James asked, still frowning at Sirius.  Lily nodded.  "Well, do you want to go look around at the shops, then?" James asked.

            "Yes, alright." Lily replied.  James stood up, and held out his hand to her.  Lily felt that same tingle again as she took his hand.  They walked out of the shop, where their friends suddenly pretended to be chatting casually.  Lily shot Sirius a murderous look, for it had been him who had distracted James in the first place.

            "Ah, are you finished, then?  Well, we've finished our shopping as well!" Sirius said, not paying the slightest attention to Lily's glares.  

            "Shall we head back, then?" Kailyn asked.  

            "Me and Lily are going to stay and look around at the shops." James said, still holding on to Lily's hand.  

            "Alright, we'll see you later, then!" Remus said loudly, trying to cover up Sirius's snickers and Bridget and Annabelle's fit of giggles.  Then, with a last wink from Sirius, the group started to walk back to Hogwarts, leaving James and Lily alone again. 

Author's Note: Well hope you liked the chapter! Please read & review! Oh and the Petunia storyline will be coming into play really soon! Until then, it's just going to be James & Lily stuff cuz I love them! J ~Bananas


	10. The Best Night Ever

Chapter Ten:  
  
James and Lily wandered the streets of Hogsmeade for the rest of the afternoon, exploring all the shops. After Madam Puddifoot's, all the awkwardness between them had quickly faded away, and they chatted endlessly about all sorts of things. Soon darkness began to fall, and the amount of students remaining in Hogwarts decreased by the minute. James held Lily's hand tightly as he led her to the same field that he had taken her to on the full moon night.  
  
"You don't think we should be heading back to school?" Lily asked, sitting on the grass next to James.  
  
"No, it's still only dinnertime. And if it gets too late, there's a passageway in Zonko's that leads straight into Hogwarts." James replied. He knew he should not have said that the moment he saw Lily's eyes narrow.  
  
"Why didn't we take that passageway back to school on full moon night?" Lily asked in fake suspicion. Truthfully, she was very glad they had just spent the night at Zonko's.  
  
"Er, I forgot," James grinned sheepishly.  
  
"It's okay, I had fun." Lily smiled. James smiled back at her, and laid down on the grass, looking up at the stars.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lily asked.  
  
"Stargazing. Me and my sister used to do it when we were younger. I used to love pointing out the different shapes the stars made." James said. Lily slid down onto the grass beside him, and looked up at the sky.  
  
"Look, that looks like a broomstick!" Lily said, pointing to a cluster of stars.  
  
"Sirius loves pointing out his star in the Canis Major constellation." James laughed.  
  
"Some people say it's the brightest star," Lily added.  
  
"Well, it matches his personality." James said fondly. Lily turned her head to look at him.  
  
"How long have you and Sirius been best friends?" she asked.  
  
"Since forever. We met in Diagon Alley when we were five, and became friends immediately." James replied, "I mean, he's like my brother. He even lives at my house now. . .he ran away from home."  
  
"I feel bad for your mum during holidays," Lily laughed. A sudden movement in the sky caught her attention. "Ooh, look James, a shooting star! Make a wish!" Lily watched as James looked up at the shooting star.  
  
"I haven't done that in years," James laughed, after making his wish.  
  
"Do you think it will come true?" Lily smiled.  
  
"I don't know. Shall I find out?" James replied.  
  
"You sound like our Divination teacher!" Lily giggled. James sat up and gazed down into Lily's eyes, taking her hand in his.  
  
"Lily, will you go out with me?" he asked softly. Lily looked up at him for a few moments, too surprised to say anything. Of course she had been expecting this, but it was the way he asked that surprised her. There was not a trace of arrogance in his voice. . .he wasn't wearing his usual cocky smile. His voice was sincere, and he had a genuine expression on his face.  
  
"Yes," Lily whispered, barely able to hear herself. Now it was James's turn to look surprised.  
  
"What? Y. . .you will?" he stammered excitedly. Lily sat up and threw her arms around his neck. "But you said you wouldn't go out with me if it was a choice between me and the giant squid," James reminded her. Lily slightly pulled away, so that her face was just inches away from his.  
  
"Some things change, James. You should know," she smiled. James leaned forward, and gently pressed his lips against hers. Lily felt as if her heart would leap out of her chest, as she tightened her grasp around James's neck. This was even better than it had been in her dreams. For the few seconds it lasted, every other thought in Lily's head seemed to vanish, and she knew it had to have been the best few seconds of her life. They laid down on the grass, Lily snuggling close to James, looking up at the twinkling stars in the velvety sky.  
  
* * *  
The hours passed quickly, and it was close to midnight when James and Lily snuck through the passageway back to Hogwarts. They crept into the Gryffindor common room, and stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitories.  
  
"You don't have to go upstairs yet," James grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously. Lily laughed and put her arms around his neck.  
  
"Goodnight James," she said, hugging him tightly.  
  
"Sleep well, Lily," James replied. Lily gave him a quick kiss before turning around and climbing up the stairs. James walked across the common room, unable to stop grinning madly. He climbed up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, images of the night flashing through his head. His dormitory was dark, and was filled by the sounds of soft breathing. James sank onto his bed, not even bothering to change into his nightclothes. He stared up at the ceiling happily, remembering how good it felt to kiss her and have her snuggled next to him. Suddenly, loud cracking noises filled the room, and flashes of bright light flew into the air. James jumped up in shock as the firecrackers exploded noisily. The lights suddenly switched on, and James saw a cork pop out of a bottle and fly through the air. He looked back at the bottle, which was now fizzing all over Sirius, who was grinning like an idiot. Remus was trying to put out the firecrackers, while Peter stood and stared at James.  
  
"Sirius, I TOLD you not to light the firecrackers inside the dorm!" Remus said angrily, as a firecracker set the sleeve of his nightshirt on fire. James looked around the room in shock. There was confetti sprinkled everywhere, and loads of snacks piled on each of the beds.  
  
"What is going on here?" James asked in bewilderment.  
  
"Why, we wanted to congratulate you, Prongs!" Sirius grinned, setting down the bottle he was holding.  
  
"Yeah, when you didn't come back by ten, we figured things were going the way you wanted!" Peter exclaimed, stuffing a cupcake into his mouth.  
  
"What is that?" James asked, eyeing the bottle Sirius had been holding.  
  
"Firewhiskey!" Sirius said proudly, "You've been waiting for this for three years, so I figured it called for a celebration!" Peter still looked awed at the fact that Sirius had managed to sneak in some firewhiskey.  
  
"So, how did it go?" Remus asked, once he had succeeded in putting out most of the firecrackers.  
  
"Did you ask her out?" Peter asked excitedly, his eyes large and round.  
  
"Yeah," James replied.  
  
"AND?" Sirius, Remus and Peter shouted.  
  
"She said yes!" James grinned. Peter started clapping wildly, while Sirius started singing as he poured some firewhiskey into a goblet. He handed it to James, and patted him on the back happily. Remus beamed proudly, as if all his advice had finally paid off. James couldn't help feeling even happier as he watched his friends partying. It was nearly four hours later when the five bottles of firewhiskey were finally finished, the food was completely eaten, and the boys had passed out on their beds.  
  
* * *  
The girls did not get much sleep that night either, although they spent the hours talking and giggling, instead of partying and drinking. Bridget and Annabelle's eyes grew wider by the second when Lily told her three best friends a detailed account of what had happened.  
  
"I can't believe you're going out with James Potter!" Bridget screamed.  
  
"I know! You have us to thank, of course! We're the ones that encouraged you to go out with him from the beginning!" Annabelle said proudly.  
  
"I've never seen you so happy before!" Kailyn smiled at Lily, who was still beaming uncontrollably.  
  
"Well naturally! I mean, it's JAMES POTTER!" Bridget shrieked shrilly. Kailyn rolled her eyes.  
  
"You got to kiss James Potter. . ." Annabelle sighed dreamily.  
  
"There'll be a lot more of that!" Bridget smirked. Lily blushed.  
  
"Ooh, how much more?" Annabelle laughed. Kailyn looked at Bridget and Annabelle in annoyance.  
  
"So Lil, now you can go with him to the Halloween Ball!" she said, changing the subject. The moment she saw Bridget and Annabelle's gleaming eyes, she wished she had not said anything.  
  
"What are you going to wear?" Bridget screeched.  
  
"How are you going to do your hair?" Annabelle cried. Kailyn groaned, slamming her pillow over her head. Lily grinned happily, and fell back on her bed. This had definitely been the best night of her life.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter is kinda short. Please read & review!! We love getting reviews - thanks! 


	11. Moonlight Strolls

Chapter Eleven:  
  
The students of Hogwarts had received quite a big shock when James and Lily had walked into the Great Hall the next morning, holding hands. The students were more even more eager to watch James and Lily's affection for each other than they had been to watch their usual fights. Bridget and Annabelle were glowing with happiness, and were more than happy to inform everyone exactly how this miracle had come about.  
  
For the first few days, excited buzzes would fill the corridors whenever James and Lily walked past. All conversations would cease, and heads would turn to watch what soon was called "The Perfect Couple". Even Professor McGonagall found it difficult to concentrate on teaching her lesson when James and Lily sat right in front of her, holding hands and gazing at each other. After the first two weeks, much to James and Lily's relief, the students' excitement died down considerably. But James and Lily's feelings for each other did nothing but grow deeper by the day.  
  
"Come on Prongs, we haven't played a good prank in such a long time!" Sirius whined, eyeing Snape out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"I don't think five days is considered 'such a long time'." Lily remarked. Sirius saw a group of first-years walking towards them, and eyed his wand longingly.  
  
"Feel like doing a good hex?" he grinned at James.  
  
"No! You're not going to hex innocent first-years for no reason, Sirius!" Lily said firmly. Sirius groaned.  
  
"How about Snape, then?" he asked desperately. Lily glared at him, and then went back to talking to Kailyn. Sirius looked at James pleadingly.  
  
"Okay, right before Potions," James said quietly, making sure Lily wasn't listening. Sirius's face lit up, and the two boys started making plans quietly. Lily looked over at them suspiciously, and gave Remus a questioning look. Remus smiled and shrugged, turning his concentration to his breakfast.  
  
"James?" Lily said, leaning close to James. James's head shot up, and he turned to look at Lily.  
  
"Yes, dear?" he replied sweetly.  
  
"Sounds like they're married," Sirius snickered.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lily asked suspiciously.  
  
"Nothing," James answered innocently. Lily sighed and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well, I've got to go to the library before class starts," she said.  
  
"Okay," James pulled Lily's face towards his, and kissed her.  
  
"What did I say about kissing at the breakfast table?" Sirius sang loudly.  
  
* * *  
Lily sat in front of the fireplace in the Head common room, trying not to think about James as she struggled to concentrate on her Herbology homework. She had sternly told him not to come into the Head common room until she was finished with all her homework. James was a definite distraction, and she did not want to start slipping in her studies. She looked down at her parchment, which still had only one sentence on it.  
  
"Damn you, James!" she muttered out loud. She was beginning to hate how her thoughts kept drifting to him at all the wrong times.  
  
"What did I do this time, Lils?"  
  
Lily spun around, sending her books flying everywhere, to see James standing there. He had an amused look on his face, and was trying not to laugh.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Lily demanded, gathering her books together.  
  
"I came to see if you were finished yet," James said politely. Lily glared down at her parchment.  
  
"Obviously I'm not," she muttered. James sat down next to her, and put his arm around her.  
  
"You've been working too hard," he said.  
  
"No, I haven't been working enough! All I do is keep thinking about you, and it's getting really annoying!" Lily complained. James frowned.  
  
"What's so bad about thinking about me?" he scowled. Lily sighed wearily.  
  
"James, please go away. I'll come see you when I'm finished, I promise. I just need to get this done!" she said, stroking his face fondly.  
  
"I think you need a break!" James remarked, pulling her to her feet.  
  
"NO! I do not need a break, James, just leave me alone!" Lily pleaded, as James dragged her out of the common room. Once they were in the corridor, James pulled his invisibility cloak over himself and Lily, pulling her close to him.  
  
"Now come quietly, Lily. I don't have the map with me, so we have to be careful," he whispered. Lily looked at him in bewilderment and annoyance.  
  
"What map? And why are we under a blanket?" she asked irritably, as they walked down the staircases to the first floor.  
  
"This isn't a blanket, it's an invisibility cloak." James replied softly. Lily gasped in surprise. She had never actually seen an invisibility cloak.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked nervously, as James pulled open the front doors. Once they had gotten near the Quidditch field, James threw off the invisibility cloak.  
  
"For a moonlight stroll," he said, with a charming smile. Lily glanced back at the castle, sure that Filch would be running out of it any moment. But once James took her hand, all her worries seemed to disappear. They walked along the field, which looked beautiful in the moonlight.  
  
"Are you nervous about the big Quidditch match next week when the families come?" Lily asked.  
  
"No! We're playing Ravenclaw!" James said arrogantly, as if it were a stupid question.  
  
"They have beaten you before," Lily pointed out teasingly.  
  
"Yeah well, no one is going to beat us this year. We're going to win the Quidditch cup for the sixth year in a row!" James said proudly. Lily laughed, and leaned closer to James, hugging his waist.  
  
"I had a dream about you," she said softly.  
  
"I've been having dreams about you." James smiled. Lily looked at him, vaguely wondering what his dreams could possibly be about.  
  
"Well, I've had this dream a lot. We would fly around London on your broomstick. I'd never flown like that before. . .now I understand why you love playing Quidditch so much," she said. James looked at her thoughtfully.  
  
"Can two people fit on a broomstick?" he asked, more to himself than to her. He had never considered it before.  
  
"It would be a tight fit, but I'm pretty sure it could work." Lily replied.  
  
"Tight is good," James grinned. Lily watched as he looked at the castle thoughtfully.  
  
"James, come on, let's finish our walk," she said, beginning to walk ahead. But James just stood there, still looking at the castle thoughtfully. Suddenly, he raised his wand. Lily looked at him in bewilderment.  
  
"James, what are you. . ."  
  
"Accio broom!" James shouted. Lily's eyes turned wide.  
  
"James! It was just a dream, you idiot!" she yelled. James put his arms around her, and pulled her close to him.  
  
"It's my job to make all your dreams come true," he said softly in her ear. Suddenly, James's broomstick came whizzing through the air and stopped in front of them. Lily looked at it weakly.  
  
"The whole school must be up by now," she said. She knew she must be having that dream again.  
  
"Well then we better get going. Can you cast an invisibility charm on it?" James asked. Lily nodded faintly. She raised her wand, and quickly muttered something. Suddenly, the broomstick vanished. James groped the air with his hand, and found the broomstick. He lifted Lily up, and placed her on it. Then he hopped on, and kicked off the ground. Lily screamed as they went soaring into the air.  
  
"James, slow down!" she shrieked, clinging to James tightly. This was even more exciting than it had been in her dreams. They were going faster than the wind, and were very high above the grounds. Lily giggled as the fast breeze tickled her ear, and swept her hair out behind her. She would never dare to go this fast on her own. She had no idea how Quidditch players did those fancy moves and sharp dives. James was famous for his sharp dives. . .  
  
"Is diving really scary?" Lily asked, pressing closer to James, feeling his warmth seep into her.  
  
"Do you want to find out?" James grinned. Before Lily had time to decide, James swooped down towards the ground. Lily thought her heart would jump out of her body, as they hurtled down so fast that everything around her was a blur. She could not even scream. Lily resisted the urge to shut her eyes. She felt a little dizzy when she saw the ground coming closer into view, and realized that James had not even begun to slow down. She was sure they would pull up any moment now. . . they were so close to the ground now. . .surely they were going to crash! Then, seconds before hitting the ground, James smoothly pulled back up into the air. Lily closed her eyes in relief and rested her head on James's back, her heart still pounding wildly.  
  
"Don't ever do that again!" she said, once she had gotten her breath back. James laughed, and pulled up higher into the sky. He lowered his speed, so that they were drifting comfortably over the treetops. She gazed down at the little buildings and gardens as they soared past the village of Hogsmeade. They went further towards London, and Lily felt a surge of excitement as she saw the brightly lit town from a distance.  
  
"What else happened in this dream?" James asked.  
  
"Er, we went to visit my family," Lily said slowly, hoping James was not crazy enough to actually fly across London to the small village where she lived.  
  
"So, do you want to?" James smiled. Lily stared at him in bewilderment.  
  
"James, don't be stupid. We can't really fly across London on a broomstick," she said realistically.  
  
"Yes we can," James remarked, "If you want to go, then I will take you." Lily closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the pleasant feeling in her dreams. She pictured cuddling next to James on her sofa, and having a grand chat with her family. But then she suddenly pictured her parents' reaction when they opened the door to see their daughter and some boy standing there on a school night, holding nothing but a broomstick.  
  
"Er, I don't know if my Mum and Dad would take it so well," she finally said. James smiled at her.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Shall we go back, then?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, please. I need to finish my Herbology essay!" Lily groaned. Up till now, she had forgotten all about her schoolwork. James turned the broomstick around, and headed back towards Hogwarts. Lily watched the bright city and little houses fade away. She looked at the shining moon and smiled, knowing there had never been a more magical moment in her life.  
  
* * *  
Kailyn cautiously walked towards the Head common room, making sure Filch was not patrolling around. It was well past corridor hours, and Lily still had not come back to the dorm. Kailyn decided Lily must be struggling with her Herbology essay, and decided to go see if she needed help or company. She used the password Lily had given her, and slipped into the Head common room. There was a fire blazing in the fireplace, and books and parchment were sprawled out across the floor. Kailyn glanced around the room, but saw no sign of Lily. Suddenly, she heard loud splashes coming from the Head bathroom. She headed towards the bathroom, deciding that Lily had probably wanted a relaxing bath after all her work. Before knocking on the door, she stopped abruptly. 'What if James is in there?' she thought. But no, she remembered Lily firmly telling him not to come into the Head common room until she was finished. Kailyn knocked on the wooden door loudly. She heard running water suddenly stop, and someone get out of the tub. A few seconds later, the door swung open, and Kailyn's heart stopped beating. Sirius stood in front of her wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist, his dark hair dripping with water.  
  
"Hullo Kailyn!" he said pleasantly. Kailyn turned bright red, and felt as if she were melting.  
  
"I. . .I'm so so. . .sorry," she stammered, quickly turning around.  
  
"No worries!" Sirius grinned, "I was just finishing up anyway!" Despite her conscience screaming at her, she turned around and looked at Sirius. His body was very built from Quidditch, and it had a nice tan color. His brown eyes were deep, and seemed to sparkle.  
  
"I was looking for Lily," she said softly.  
  
"Yes, I figured. But you found me instead." Sirius replied.  
  
"I'm sorry," Kailyn whispered, utterly embarrassed.  
  
"I'm not," Sirius grinned. Kailyn looked at him in surprise. She felt very weak as Sirius pulled her against him, and kissed her.  
  
Author's Note: Hope you liked it! Please continue to read & review! The families will be coming to visit soon! ~Bananas 


	12. Dark News

Author's Note: Thanks soo much for all the reviews! They're really helpful. Oh and for this story, we're just gonna pretend James has a sister! lol k read & review! ~Bananas  
  
Chapter Twelve:  
  
The whole of Hogwarts was filled with an excited air as the family visiting week came closer. Now with only two days left to go, studying was nearly impossible. Students were writing and receiving last minute owls, and it was the topic of all conversations. Some teachers had even given up their attempts of teaching. Professor McGonagall was becoming extremely frustrated and sternly told all her seventh-years that she did not care to hear the details of their family lives. Even Lily was starting to get annoyed. She sat in the Head common room, trying desperately to study for her Potions test, while Bridget and Annabelle chattered endlessly about how exciting this family visiting week was going to be.  
  
"Mum has always wanted to see what a Quidditch match looked like!" Bridget exclaimed. Bridget's mother was a Muggle.  
  
"I know! I heard that the match is going to be unbelievable! Kailyn says James is working them hard so that now family will ever forget this match!" Annabelle said excitedly. This annoyed Lily even more. She seriously had not seen James out of class ever since the night of their moonlight stroll. During class, James would sit with his teammates, discussing strategies. The few times he actually did sit with Lily, he would be busy drawing game plans. The second classes ended for the day, it was time for Quidditch practice again. In the corridors between classes, the Gryffindor team held little pep talks and planning sessions. During mealtimes, they would quickly eat and rush outside to practice some more.  
  
"Lily, are you okay?" Bridget suddenly sked.  
  
"She's just mad because she hasn't had a good snogging session with James recently!" Annabelle giggled.  
  
"It's more like I've barely even SEEN James recently!" Lily said, staring at her Potions book moodily. She was probably the only person who studied these days.  
  
"Come on Lily, lighten up! You've been stressing over your studies way too much. Just forget about it like everyone else has, and join the excitement!" Bridget said, tossing Lily's Potions book aside.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lily said helplessly. She could not stand watching everyone else except her having fun anymore.  
  
"And I know you miss spending time with James. But he'll be all yours again as soon as the match is over," Annabelle said comfortingly. Lily could not help thinking that maybe James had gotten bored with her. Maybe she wasn't fun enough for him. . .  
  
"So, what exactly is going on between Kailyn and Sirius?" Bridget asked thoughtfully. Lily snapped out of her daze, and looked at Bridget. Kailyn had definitely been acting very strange lately. Whenever someone mentioned Sirius, she would turn red. Whenever she saw him, she would fix her hair and sit very still until he noticed her. And they were always disappearing together.  
  
"She's not going out with him - she would have told us," Annabelle said analytically. Lily tried not to laugh. Bridget and Annabelle loved to analyze these things. Just then, James, Sirius and Kailyn strolled in, still wearing their Quidditch clothes. Lily's heart gave a little leap - she was finally going to get to talk to James without a teacher staring at her the whole time. Sirius and Kailyn fell onto the sofa, sitting very close to each other. James looked weary, but at the same time pleased.  
  
"Dumbledore wants to see us," he said, sitting across the table from Lily and taking her hand.  
  
"Why?" Lily asked, trying not to sound overjoyed at the little interaction they were finally having.  
  
"I don't know, but we should go now." James replied. Lily nodded, and followed him out of the Head common room. Once they were in the corridor, James put his arm around her and pulled her very close to him.  
  
"I missed you Lils," he said, kissing the top of her head. Lily felt like she could jump with joy.  
  
"Yeah, you don't have time for me anymore," she said, shaking her head sadly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Princess. I just want to make this match go down in the history of Hogwarts. Wait and see. . .it's going to be the best Quidditch match you've ever seen!" James said proudly. Lily smiled. James was already one of the best Seekers Hogwarts had ever seen, but he kept pushing himself to do even better. They stopped in front of the gargoyle statue guarding Dumbledore's office, where Professor McGonagall stood waiting for them.  
  
"Quidditch practice going well, Mr. Potter?" she asked, with a hint of pride in her voice. She led them upstairs to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Yes, Professor. We won't let you down." James replied. Professor McGonagall beamed, and opened the door to the office. All the teachers were already there, seated at a long table. Lily looked at them in surprise, wondering why she was at a teacher's meeting.  
  
"Ah, Mr. Potter and Miss Evans! Please sit down, and we can begin." Professor Dumbledore said kindly. James and Lily took the two empty seats at the end of the table. They glanced at each other apprehensively.  
  
"But Professor Dumbledore, surely these two children do not need to hear this!" Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, said worriedly.  
  
"My dear Madam Pomfrey, I am afraid that James and Lily are no longer children. They have indeed grown up fast," Professor Dumbledore said fondly. James looked at Professor Dumbledore, wondering what was going on.  
  
"I regret to inform you, that Voldemort is steadily becoming more and more powerful by the day," Professor Dumbledore began. James and Lily looked at him in shock. Why would he want them at such an important meeting? "It saddens me to say that I am quite worried now. His number of followers is increasing, and soon he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. As you know, his first target is all muggle borns. He does not wish for them to learn witchcraft and wizardry. And so, I am very afraid that he may first attempt to attack this problem at its source - Hogwarts."  
  
"But Professor, surely he would not dare such an attack! Surely he does not think he can win against a school such as Hogwarts - against you?" Professor McGonagall said loudly, over all the gasps of horror.  
  
"And he cannot enter Hogwarts! The school is heavily protected! Unless he were to Apparate into the building?" Professor Dooms said uncertainly.  
  
"You can't Apparate or Disapparate on Hogwarts grounds," Lily said weakly. Everyone looked at her in surprise, having forgotten that she and James were there. James noticed that Lily was trembling, and her face was pale. He squeezed her hand under the table.  
  
"Miss Evans is absolutely right," Professor Dumbledore said, sounding impressed. "I am not sure how he may do it. But my guess is, he will be using help from inside Hogwarts."  
  
"Professor! Surely you don't mean to say that. . .that some of his supporters are in Hogwarts?" Professor McGonagall said in disbelief.  
  
"It is only my belief, Professor McGonagall. I cannot say for sure, and I most definitely cannot accuse any of my students of being Death Eaters. But we must be aware." Professor Dumbledore replied gravely.  
  
"Hogwarts students. . .Death Eaters?" Madam Pomfrey shook her head sadly.  
  
"We must all be very careful and on the lookout. James and Lily, as Head Students, I would like you to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I do not wish to burden the students with news like this, but it is important that someone in the student population is aware of this. Can you take this responsibility?" Professor Dumbledore said kindly. James and Lily nodded, too surprised to say anything.  
  
"But I must ask you to remember," Professor Dumbledore looked at James, "not to point any fingers, and not to accuse anyone merely on biased judgments or past conflictions."  
  
"Yes, Professor," James replied. Professor Dumbledore smiled at him.  
  
"Thank you for joining us, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans. You may go now," he said. James took Lily's hand, and led her out of the office. They walked in silence to the Head common room, which was now empty. Lily stood in front of the fireplace, trying to stop shaking.  
  
"Lils, are you okay?" James asked worriedly.  
  
"James, what if he is really powerful now? What if he can get what wants?" Lily asked quietly.  
  
"He won't. Dumbledore won't let anything happen." James said reassuringly.  
  
"What if this is out of Dumbledore's control? He wants to attack the muggle borns in this school. I'm a muggle born!" Lily said, her voice breaking. James wrapped his arms around her, and held her tightly.  
  
"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise I will always be here to take care of you," he said, stroking her hair gently. They sat down together on the sofa, James still holding Lily close to him.  
  
"I missed being with you the last couple days," Lily said, leaning her head on James's shoulder.  
  
"So did I. But don't worry, I'll make it up to you. I'll make all those days up to you," James grinned. Lily laughed.  
  
"I hope you behave like a gentleman when I introduce you to my parents," she said, running her fingers through James's unruly hair.  
  
"I'm always a gentleman," James laughed, "My mum can't wait to meet you."  
  
"She knows about me?" Lily asked in surprise.  
  
"Yes, apparently Sirius took the liberty of sending her an owl and telling her." James said. Lily began to laugh, but then suddenly remembered all the things she had ever heard about the Potters. They were a very prestigious family in the wizarding world, and were very wealthy. As far as she knew, they were an entirely pureblood family. Lily felt slightly sick as she wondered how they would react when they learned James was dating a muggle.  
  
"Do you think. . .they'll like me?" she asked nervously. James looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Of course they'll like you! Why wouldn't they?" he asked.  
  
"Because. . .my family is the total opposite of yours! We're muggles, and we're not exactly the wealthiest family." Lily replied.  
  
"So?" James frowned.  
  
"So. . .what if they don't think I'm good enough for you?" Lily said quietly. James looked outraged.  
  
"WHERE did you get a stupid idea like that from?" he demanded.  
  
"I don't know," Lily mumbled.  
  
"Listen Lils, my family is not like that! They're not going to give a damn about how wealthy you are, or whether your parents are muggles. All they'll care about is that you're a good woman, and that I'm happy with you!" James said.  
  
"Your father doesn't approve of your sister's fiancé," Lily pointed out.  
  
"That's different!" James snapped, "You're not a loser who can't find a job, and you're the most decent girl I've ever known. My father will love you."  
  
Lily was not completely reassured, but James's word was good enough for now. She really wanted the Potters to like her.  
  
"I'm sorry, I guess I'm just a little nervous," she apologized.  
  
"Well, don't be. Everything will be okay. So. . .what do you say I start making up for all these days I've been away from you?" James grinned, twirling a strand of Lily's red hair on his finger.  
  
"Sounds good," Lily smiled, as James leaned back on the couch, pulling her with him.  
  
Author's Note: Heyy review please! The families come to visit next chapter! 


	13. Family Visiting Week

**Chapter Thirteen:**

A/N: Sorry we haven't updated in so long!  First it was summer vacation, then the beginning of school. . . but I hope u like the chapter, and please R&R! -Bananas

Early next morning, James and Lily, being the Head students, stood at the front of the school with Professor Dumbledore, waiting to greet the arriving families.  A mass of students scrambled towards the many Knight Buses to welcome their families and help with the luggage.  Melissa Janson, whose parents were Muggles, hurried forward to help her rather pale mother, who was rather shaken by the less than pleasant ride on the Knight Bus.  The grounds were soon filled with hugging and kissing, and excited voices. 

            "Hello, I'm James Potter.  Welcome to Hogwarts!" James greeted a pair of beaming parents.

            "Oh look, Warren!  It's James Potter!  Oh, you KNOW, Marian's James!" Mrs. Keltley exclaimed, nudging her clueless husband.  James looked at her in half determined politeness and half confusion.

            "Oh, it's my daughter, Marian.  She talks about you ALL the time!  She has quite the crush on you, you know!" Mrs. Keltley winked.  

            "MUM!" Marian hissed in embarrassment, looking as if she could die right then and there.  James smiled uncomfortably and glanced at Lily, who was raising her eyebrows at him and smirking.  James shrugged innocently, before turning to greet another pair of parents.

            Lily scanned the crowd eagerly, her eyes finally settling upon her mother shakily walking off the Knight Bus.  Mrs. Evans was clutching her husband's arm, her eyes wide and face white.  Lily smiled and ran towards them.

            "Mummy!" she cried, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck.  Mrs. Evans hugged her tightly, feeling slightly better after seeing her daughter.

            "Oh, Lily!  How are you, dear?  We've missed you so much!" Mrs. Evans sobbed, stroking Lily's flaming red hair.  Mr. Evans looked around in embarrassment, very aware that his wife was definitely one of the most emotional mothers there.

            "Daddy!" Lily hugged her father, as soon as her mother had finally released her.  Mr. Evans smiled and kissed her forehead.  Lily looked at her sister, who was searching around frantically, in surprise.

            "Petunia!  I didn't think you would come," Lily admitted.  Petunia looked at Lily with a blank face.

            "What?" she asked dazedly, continuing to look around again.  She barely heard her sister's words as she scanned the grounds, looking for a sign of that jet-black hair.  

            "Petunia?  Petunia. . ." 

            Suddenly everything around her seemed to go mute, and Petunia's heart started skipping beats.  There he was. . . standing next to some ancient looking man, and talking to some boy.  His dark hair was wild and untamed, and his smile reached all the way to his shining eyes.

            "James Potter," Petunia murmured dreamily under her breath.  She was filled with a sudden warmth, and was sure her heart was about to melt.

            At that moment, her sister happened to be staring at the exact same thing.  Lily watched James chatting animatedly with Kailyn's older brother, who played Quidditch for Puddlemere United.  She decided it was best not to say anything about James to her parents yet.  After all, there was no hurry.  If she told them now, her mother would insist on meeting James, and then her father would drill him with a thousand questions and "if you ever hurt my daughter. . ." speeches.  Besides, James was busy greeting the parents, and would probably be meeting his own family soon.

            "Well, shall we go inside, then?" Lily said, taking her mother's bag.  Mr. and Mrs. Evans followed her towards the castle.  Petunia took one last glance back at James, mesmerized by his every move, before stepping through the big wooden doors.

In the meantime, James was listening eagerly to Kailyn's brother explain the tactics of a new type of dive.  

"Come on Grant, Mum and Dad have already gone inside!" Kailyn said exasperatedly, tugging on her brother's sleeve.

"So by rolling over, you'll be increasing your speed AND your stability at the same time!" Grant rambled on, ignoring his little sister.  Sirius smiled at Kailyn sympathetically, and motioned for her to come closer to him.  They spoke in soft voices, laughing quietly every few seconds.  Grant abruptly stopped talking, his eyes narrowing as his sister giggled and pressed her hand against Sirius' chest.  

"I'll see you later, James," Grant said solemnly.  He grabbed Kailyn's arm and dragged her towards the castle.  James laughed and clapped his best friend on the shoulder.

"I guess Grant still remembers your dating goals," James joked, before turning to greet another family.  

            "IT'S THE MARAUDER-ENTS!" Sirius suddenly shouted, pointing to a group of parents getting off one of the Knight Buses.  James immediately turned and ran towards them, closely followed by Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

            "Mum!" James exclaimed, going forward to give his mother a hug.

            "James!" Mrs. Potter cried, engulfing James into a hug, and smothering him with kisses.

            "Mum, get a hold of yourself!" James muttered, turning red in embarrassment.

            "Mum!" Sirius grinned, approaching Mrs. Potter.  Mrs. Potter let go of James and beamed at Sirius.

            "Sirius!  How are you, dear?" she exclaimed, wrenching him into a hug as well.  

            "Hello, son!" Mr. Potter said warmly, ruffling his son's hair proudly.  He gave James a brief hug, and then turned to Sirius.

            "All right, Sirius?" he asked kindly.

            "Couldn't be better, Mr. Potter!" Sirius grinned.

            "Now!  Where is this girl that has stolen my son's heart?" Mrs. Potter demanded.  James peered through the crowds towards where Lily had been standing.  She was no where in sight.

            "She must have gone inside already," he said, feeling a little grateful.  He knew his mother would go positively mad with delight upon meeting Lily, and would start kissing and embarrassing everyone.

            "Angela!  SO glad you could make it, my dear!" Sirius exclaimed, kissing Remus' sister's hand.  Remus shook his head, but laughed along anyway.

            "Where's Elizabeth?" James asked his father, suddenly realizing that his sister was missing.  

            "She, er, couldn't make it," Mr. Potter said dismissively, his eyes glaring.  James frowned but did not say anything, not wanting to darken his father's mood so early in the visit.

            "Come on, then!  We don't want to miss dinner!" Sirius sang jovially, heading towards the castle, with Angela's arm looped through his.

***

            The Great Hall was filled with even more excited chattering than usual, and the room was lit up everywhere with bright candles.  The ceiling showed a clear night sky, with twinkling stars.  Extra tables had been put in to make room for all the visitors.  The Muggle families stared around the room and at the ceiling in shock and amazement.

            "What a beautiful school!" Mrs. Evans praised, fascinated by everything she saw.  Mr. Evans stared at the floating candles in bewilderment, as if contemplating the magic behind it all.  Petunia had her arm propped on the table, her face cupped in her hand.  She gazed at the other end of the long table where James was, wishing he had gotten here earlier.  By the time he and his family had arrived, nearly all the seats at the table had been taken.

            "Mum, you remember Kailyn and Annabelle from summer holidays," Lily said, as she introduced her mother to the people sitting around her.

            "Of course!" Mrs. Evans beamed, "And hello, Bridget dear!"  Bridget, whose parents were Muggles, lived very close to where the Evans lived.

            Just then, Professor Dumbledore rose and clinked his spoon against his goblet.  The chattering ceased, and everyone turned to look at him.

            "It is my great honor to welcome all the families who have come to visit Hogwarts!  It is a privilege to be around these fine students, and all the parents should be very proud indeed." Professor Dumbledore beamed at all the parents, "To ensure a comfortable and pleasant visit, we have arranged the visitor wing for all families to stay in.  Tomorrow morning will start off with a very entertaining Quidditch match between Ravenclaw, led by captain Edward Chang, and Gryffindor, led by captain James Potter."

            The room exploded with applause, especially in the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sections.  Petunia looked at James with pride.  Her James was the captain!  Professor Dumbledore clinked his spoon against his goblet, and the room was quiet again.

            "And now dinner will be served.  I know the Knight Bus is a shaky ride, so I encourage everyone to tuck in!"

            Many gasps echoed around the room as an endless amount of platters suddenly appeared on the table.  Wizard and witch parents laughed reminiscently and helped themselves to generous servings.  Several students from the Slytherin table snickered at the shocked Muggle parents gaping at the food.  

            "Daddy, you're acting like you've never seen food before!" Lily exclaimed in alarm, watching her father gobble food into his mouth as if it would all disappear too soon.

            "Well, your boyfriend's acting the same exact way!  And HE'S been going to school here for seven years!" Annabelle laughed.  Lily choked on her roll of bread, while her father's hand froze midway to the turkey platter.  Annabelle clapped her hand over her mouth, suddenly realizing what she had just said.  

            "What boyfriend?" Mrs. Evans asked in surprise, turning to look at Lily.  Mr. Evans merely stared at his daughter.  Petunia sighed and went back to staring at James.  She couldn't care less about who her sister was dating.

            "I was going to tell you, Mum," Lily said, her face nearly as red as her hair.  

            "So it's true?  Oh sweetheart, how wonderful!  It's been a while since the last one, hasn't it?" Mrs. Evans cried, giving an extremely embarrassed Lily a hug.  Mr. Evans continued to stare.  He did not like the idea of his baby girl dating at all.  

            "Well, where is the bugger?" he demanded rudely.  

            "Charles!" Mrs. Evans scolded.

            "Daddy!" Lily shrieked at the same time.

***

"So Sirius, show me this girl now!" Mrs. Potter whispered to Sirius, who was helping himself to his fifth serving of pudding.  Sirius abandoned the pudding and grinned.

"WELL," he said loudly, "she's right over there at the other end of the table!  See the girl with the red hair?  That's Lily Evans!"

James stopped in the middle of his sentence, and glared at Sirius.  

"Who are we talking about?" Mrs. Lupin asked interestedly.

"Oh, she's simply LOVELY!" Mrs. Potter cried.  

"Who?" Mr. Potter demanded.

"The love of James' life!" Sirius grinned, completely ignoring James' deadly glares.  All of the Marauder's parents leaned forward to see Lily.

"Oh, what a doll!"

"She's delightful!"

"Well of course my son has good taste!" Mr. Potter beamed.

"James, she's positively gorgeous!"

"What's the angel's name again?"

"AND," Sirius interrupted, "this one's special!" 

James slumped down in his seat, his face red with embarrassment.

"Oh James!  How sweet!"

"I still remember how James used to have all those little crushes!"

"Ah yes, nearly five at a time!"

"These boys are growing up so fast, aren't they?"

"Oh bless him, the poor boy is blushing!"

"Settling down, eh Jamesie?"

"Pretty soon even Sirius is going to stop chasing all these girls and stick to one!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed.

"Now that," Sirius laughed, "is the funniest thing I've heard all day!"

A/N: We'll try to post the next chapter soon! J 


	14. Awkward Introductions

**Chapter Fourteen:**

A/N: Sorry this took a while! School keeps me busy. . .lol R&R please!

After everyone had finally had enough, or in some cases more than enough, to eat, the families began to crowd out of the Great Hall, forming a massive mob in the corridor.  Lily led her parents to the Head common room, where she and James had already decided to meet after dinner.  Petunia, who couldn't be bothered to meet the dumb bloke her sister was seeing, went straight upstairs to the visitor wing.  Lily paced up and down the common room nervously, glancing at the clock every two seconds.

            "He's late." Mr. Evans pointed out bitterly.  

            "Oh stop it!  You always have a problem with whomever Lily's seeing!" Mrs. Evans said sternly.  

            "Well the bugger IS late!" Mr. Evans said stubbornly.  Lily was just starting to wish that there had been no family visiting week, when the portrait hole suddenly swung open, and James stepped inside.  Lily sighed in relief, and walked towards him.

            "Sorry I'm late, Lils.  My parents will be here soon.  They just ran into some of their old school friends on the way here." James said with an apologetic smile.

            "It's okay." Lily could feel her parents' eyes boring into the back of her head.  She turned to face them.  "Um," she began nervously, "this. . .this is James.  James Potter."  Mrs. Evans knitted her eyebrows together in confusion.

            "James Potter?  Wait a minute. . .oh, he's the one from the train station!  The stupidest, thickest git in school, I believe?" she said.  James looked at Lily in amusement.

            "Yes, that's me," he laughed.

            "Except he's changed," Lily smiled.  James extended his hand politely.  Mr. Evans merely looked at it, while Mrs. Evans shrieked and kissed his cheeks.

            "It's so nice to meet you, James!  Oh, you're such a handsome boy!  Isn't he just, DARLING, Charles?" Mrs. Evans cried, looking as if she might kiss James again.  James smiled in embarrassment, and turned to face Lily's father.

            "Hello, Mr. Evans," he said politely.

            "Mr. Potter," Mr. Evans nodded less than warmly.  

            Suddenly the portrait hole swung open, and Mr. and Mrs. Potter walked in.  Mrs. Potter's cheeks were very rosy, as if she had just had a laughing fit.  She quickly strode towards James and Lily, her smile growing wider with every step.

            "Mum, this is. . ."

            "She's positively GORGEOUS!" Mrs. Potter beamed.  She pushed James out of the way, and threw her arms around Lily.  James and his father glanced at each other in embarrassment.  It was a while before Mrs. Potter finally released Lily, and moved on to fussing over James' tie.

            "Hello Lily.  It's nice to meet you," Mr. Potter said warmly.

            "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Potter." Lily replied, her face flushed from Mrs. Potter's extremely warm greeting.  Mrs. Potter, suddenly spotting Lily's parents, rushed over to Mrs. Evans' side, and introduced herself.  The two mothers began chatting animatedly at once, while the two fathers stood awkwardly.

            "Your daughter is such a beautiful little angel!"' Mrs. Potter gushed.

            "And look at your son!  He must be the most charming boy in all of England!" Mrs. Evans beamed.  Lily, red with embarrassment, led James to the far corner of the room.

            "Your father doesn't like me." James said quietly.

            "He never likes any boy that shows even the most remote amount of interest in me.  But don't worry, once he gets to know you, Daddy will love you!" Lily assured him.  James glanced at Mr. Evans uncertainly.  Then he looked at his mother, who was now showing Mrs. Evans a small photo album of James' baby pictures.

            "I told you my mum was mad!" he groaned.

            "I like her!" Lily grinned, wrapping her arms around James' waist.  James immediately disentangled himself.

            "Lils, your father is watching!" he whispered, glancing at Mr. Evans again.  

            "No he's not!  He's talking to your dad.  Well, at least he's trying to!" Lily giggled.  Mr. Evans looked as if he was struggling very hard to understand what Mr. Potter was talking about.  "Besides," Lily continued, "you'll get a chance to impress my father tomorrow during the Quidditch match!"

            James smiled at her, his stomach suddenly fluttering with the excitement of tomorrow's match.  He leaned forward and gave Lily a quick kiss, not seeing the horrified look on Mr. Evans' face.

***

            Nearly two hours later, the Potters and Evans had finally decided to head upstairs to the visitor wing, Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans especially tired after talking excitedly for so long.  Lily's parents, who had received quite a large shock when the staircases started moving, insisted that she assist them upstairs.  So now James found himself doing both his and Lily's share of patrolling the corridors – one of the many duties of the Head Boy and Girl.

            James strolled down the corridor, smiling at how well the evening had gone.  Now the only thing he had to do was somehow make Mr. Evans like him.  James was about to head back to the Gryffindor common room, when a dim light from one of the classrooms at the end of the corridor caught his eye.  He walked toward it and stopped at the doorway when he heard familiar hushed voices.  Peeking into the classroom, he saw Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy sitting at a table, hunched over a roll of parchment.  James frowned and strode into the classroom.

            "What are you two doing here this late?" he barked.  Snape's head shot up, while Malfoy quickly rolled up the parchment.  

            "Studying, Potter," Malfoy sneered, "is that against the school rules?"

            James glared at him, aching to demand to see the roll of parchment.  He knew they were not studying. . .he knew they were up to no good.  A rush of hatred towards the Dark Arts filled James with anger.  Snape and Malfoy staggered towards the door, where James still stood blocking the entrance.

            "Do you mind, Potter?" Malfoy said coldly.  James glanced at the roll of parchment held tightly in Snape's hand.  He had quick reflexes. . .he could grab the parchment right out of Snape's hand. . . or he could order them to go straight to Dumbledore this very instant. . .he had the authority to do that.  James was beginning to run through all the possibilities in his mind, when suddenly he remembered the meeting he had attended with Dumbledore and all the teachers.  Dumbledore had looked directly at him and said not to point any fingers based merely on past conflictions or biased judgments.  James closed his eyes in frustration.  He knew this was not a time for stupid old grudges.  For all he knew, Snape and Malfoy could've been studying after all.  

            "It's nearly after hours.  Go study in your own common room." James said harshly, eyeing the two boys with contempt.  Snape smirked at him, before following Malfoy into the empty corridor.  James watched them trudge down the corridor until they were out of sight.  Then he stood in the doorway for a long time, his suspicions growing, wondering if he had done the right thing.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is kinda short and not all that interesting.  But the next one will be better. . . hopefully!  I'll try to post it soon! -Bananas           


	15. The Quidditch Match

Chapter Fifteen:

            Petunia awoke with a start the next morning, and for a minute was unable to remember where she was.  She glanced to the right, where her mother and father were still sound asleep.  The walls of the visitor wings were cheerful and bright, and the whole room had a sense of comfort and welcome.  She stared up at the ceiling, recollecting everything she had seen ever since she stepped into Hogwarts last night.  Everything was so different and, as much as she hated to admit it, cool.  It was like a completely different world. . .a world that excluded Petunia, and only allowed her to peek into from the outside.  Petunia had never felt this jealous in her life.  And the fact that her sister had the privilege of going to school with the best looking boy on the planet made her even more envious.

            "And today I'm going to see him play Quidfish!" Petunia grinned.  She did not have the slightest clue as to how the game was played, but frankly she did not care.  The thought of seeing James Potter doing anything was enough to make her feel simply ecstatic.

            A few hours later, Petunia walked downstairs into the crowded Great Hall with her parents, her long neck craned in hope of getting a glimpse of James. 

            "Oh, I wonder where Lily is!" Mr. Evans said brightly, feeling quite content and amused by his surroundings.  Petunia opened her mouth to make a rude remark about her sister, but felt her breath catch in her chest before she could do so.  Seven students were walking towards them in some kind of uniform that Petunia recognized as the Gryffindor colors.  And the line was headed by James himself.

            "The Quidfish team!" Petunia said dreamily, gazing at James.

            "Quid-DITCH!" Mr. Evans corrected her, quite excited at the thought of finally being able to see the game that Lily had told him so much about.  Petunia felt her heart leaping as James came closer and closer towards them.  Mr. Evans, however, did not share her elated feelings.  He was still suspicious of James, and still quite shaken by what he had seen last night in the Head common room.  Mr. Evans became suddenly interested in a painting behind him as James approached them.

            "Hello Mrs. Evans," James smiled, stopping for a moment.  Petunia whipped her head towards her mother wildly, her mouth open in shock.

            "Why hello, James!  Good luck on your match!" Mrs. Evans beamed, kissing an embarrassed James on the cheek.  Petunia's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.  She stood there gaping as the Quidditch team walked away, while her mother turned to look for her husband.

            "MUM!" Petunia finally shrieked, staring at her mother.

            "What it is, dear?" Mrs. Evans asked worriedly.

            "Do. . .how. . .do you. . .do you KNOW that boy?" Petunia stammered incredulously.  Mrs. Evans laughed in surprise.

            "Of course I do, Pet," she began, "he's L. . . Lily!" Mrs. Evans suddenly rushed forward towards her other daughter.  Petunia continued to stare as her mother hugged Lily.

            "Sorry Mum, Professor McGonagall was talking to me about something for the Halloween Ball." Lily explained as she and Mrs. Evans walked back to where Petunia and Mr. Evans were standing.  "You should've started breakfast without me!" Lily smiled at her father, and led them to one of the tables.

            "No dear, we wanted to wait for you." Mr. Evans said kindly, helping himself to a rather large serving of scrambled eggs.

            "Well we better eat fast.  The Quidditch match will be starting soon!" Lily said.  Though still very confused, Petunia grinned at this news, and began quickly gulping down her breakfast.

            "Alright team!" James began enthusiastically, standing in front of his Quidditch teammates in the team room, "this is what we've been practicing so hard for!" 

            "Killing ourselves for is more like it," Kailyn muttered.  Sirius suddenly pulled out a bottle of Firewhiskey from his bag.

            "Let's make a toast!" he exclaimed excitedly.  The team eyed him in disbelief.

            "Er. . .no," James said slowly.  Sirius's wide smile faded for a moment, before he shrugged pleasantly and put the bottle away.  He shot a sly grin at Kailyn, who was looking at him disapprovingly.

            The noise coming from the Quidditch field was growing larger, and the applause was becoming thunderous.  Suddenly Madam Hooch's voice boomed over the field, and the crowd silenced in anticipation. 

            "Okay," James began, his voice edged with slight nervousness, "you all know what to do.  Just remember, we're the best team Hogwarts has ever seen!"

            "Arrogant little bugger, isn't he?" Sirius whispered to Kailyn jokingly, as James strode past them. 

            The team mounted their brooms and flew onto the pitch.  The applause was so thunderous that Madam Hooch's voice was barely audible.  Petunia was leaning so far over the rail that she was capable of falling over any second.  Her parents and Lily were standing and cheering next to her.  Once or twice Petunia thought she heard the word "James" come out of her sister's mouth, but she quickly dismissed the idea.  Her sister _hated_ James. . .she wasn't likely to cheer for him.  The match began, and Petunia's jaw dropped open in shock.  She had never seen anything so amazing in her life.  She giggled as the players zoomed past her on their brooms, the brisk air tickling her face.  She had her hand clamped firmly over her mouth because every two seconds someone would do something so daring. . .so breathtaking.  She looked at James, who was lounging on his broom, watching the other players on his team intently.  But he also seemed to be looking for something else. . .waiting for something else.  Petunia let her gaze rest on James, forgetting about the rest of the match.  He was so _intriguing_ to watch.  She loved how his hair was even messier now because of the wind.  And she loved the look in his eyes. . .like he was on top of the world.  Petunia stared at him for what felt like hours before gasping as James suddenly jetted off on his broomstick, flying faster than anyone else on the pitch.  Her heart seemed to stop beating as he flew closer to where she was standing.  And then, Petunia felt everything else disappear as James winked at her before hurtled down towards the ground.  She screamed as he sharply pulled up just inches before hitting the ground, his hand closing over a small golden object.  The audience was suddenly screaming and cheering so loudly that Petunia was sure she would become deaf.  But at the moment she didn't care.  All that mattered was James flying towards his teammates with a triumphant grin on his face that was enough to warm Petunia's soul. 

            "Amazing!" Mr. Evans yelled, "The other team didn't even get to score _once_!"  Petunia beamed with pride as she watched James and his teammates do victory laps around the pitch, before dismounting and heading towards the team room.  She heard Lily telling her mother something before slipping away somewhere, but she did not pay too much attention.  Her thoughts were preoccupied with replaying everything she had just seen.

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            "Brilliant!"  Sirius shouted, "That was bloody brilliant!"  The Gryffindor team were in the team room, clinking together glasses of Sirius' firewhiskey. 

            "Three hundred to zero!  That's definitely a record!" Brian Finnigan remarked. 

            "I guess you will be going down in history after all, James!" Sue Ryce grinned.  James laughed, his face shining with happiness and pride.

            "I think it's safe to say he'll be even cockier now!" Kailyn joked.  James turned to her and smiled.

            "You were incredible today, Kailyn," he said proudly.  Kailyn frowned, angry that proud tears were swelling in her eyes.  James almost never complimented her.

            "I. . ." she began, feeling a lump in her throat.  She gave an annoyed laugh before hugging James.  Then she turned and kissed Sirius, ignoring all the catcalls and whistles.  James raised his eyebrows and smirked at his best friend.  Sirius laughed and threw his arms around Kailyn and James. 

            "Now it's time for a _wicked_ party!" he grinned, leading them out of the team room.  He started discussing the menu and program for the party, when James suddenly noticed the girl who had been standing with Lily's family during the match.  He abruptly left Sirius and Kailyn and jogged over to the girl.

            "Hi," he said.  The girl turned to face him, her eyes growing wide and her mouth slightly opening. 

            "H. . .h. . . hey. . .hi. . .hello," she stammered, her face turning bright red.  James fought back the urge to laugh.

            "I'm James," he said politely.  The girl stared at him.

            "P. . .Petunia," she finally said. 

            "Are you Lily's sister?" James asked.  Petunia considered saying no.  For if he knew she was Lily's sister, he might hold something against her.  Because surely he could not like Lily if all she did was badmouth him.  But then she realized that he probably saw her with Lily and their parents.

            "Yes," she said hesitantly.  James nodded and smiled.  Petunia was skinny, and lacked the sexy curves that Lily possessed.  She looked a lot less feminine than Lily did, and her facial features were rather plain.  Her eyes were a dull brown, and her face was pale.  But James supposed it was just because in his mind, Lily was a goddess. 

            "We're having a party in the Gryffindor common room.  You should come," James suggested.  Petunia's eyes wandered over every inch of his face.  She felt mesmerized.  And the fact that he was inviting her to a party made her feel like she was floating.

            "Okay," she croaked.  

            "Alright, well I'll see you later, then," James smiled.  Petunia nodded weakly.  She watched James walk away, her eyesight suddenly becoming fuzzy, and her mind spinning in a daze.

A/N: Hope you liked it!  Review please!!!


	16. A PartyGryffindor Style

**A/N: Ahh the story is coming to an end. . . hope u enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter Sixteen:

          "Well, that was a rather grand feast!" Sirius remarked, strutting out of the Great Hall with James and Kailyn.  The Great Hall had been decorated in the Gryffindor colors, and the food had been exceptional to celebrate Gryffindor's victory.  Kailyn looked at James, who looked rather lost.

          "What's wrong, James?" she asked. 

          "Do you know where Lily is?" James frowned, "She wasn't at the feast."

          "She's probably busy snogging some other guy," Sirius joked.  He stopped laughing when he saw that James did not find this so funny. 

          "I'm going to go find her," James said. 

          "Well, do it quick, Prongs!  The Gryffindor party is going to start in about fifteen minutes!  Everything's all set up in the common room, I just need to sneak into the kitchens and grab some snacks!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly.  James nodded and headed towards the Head common room.  He muttered the password to the portrait, and stepped inside.  He was greeted by the incredible aroma of something baking.  The room was dim, lit up only by candles.  James walked further into the room and smiled when he saw that it was decorated in the Gryffindor colors.  And there, standing in front of the fireplace, was Lily.  She was wearing a slinky black dress, and her red hair fell over her shoulders, shining with the light from the fireplace. 

          "Oh, man," James murmured under his breath.  Lily smiled and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

          "I thought maybe you would like your own private party first," she smiled slyly, resting her forehead against his. 

          "I would love my own private party," James said hoarsely, kissing Lily's neck.  Lily took his hand and led him over to the sofa.

          "I was very proud of you today," she said, slowly undoing James's tie.  The Gryffindor team had been forced to change back into their uniforms before the feast.  James stared at Lily, finding it difficult to breathe properly.  She was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on.  And this sexy act of hers wasn't making it any easier for him.

          "I winked at you before going for the snitch.  Did you see?" he asked childishly.  Lily laughed and nodded.

          "You were acting pretty cocky up there.  Like you knew you were going to win all along," she said.

          "Well, I was right, wasn't I?" James grinned.  Lily smiled and stroked his face gently.

          "You'll be late for Sirius' party," she warned, before lowering him onto the sofa.

          "To hell with Sirius' party," James murmured, brushing his lips over Lily's soft skin. 

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          "Padfoot, I thought you learned not to light firecrackers inside!" Remus shouted, as twenty firecrackers exploded inside the Gryffindor common room.  The noise inside the room was so loud that Sirius did not hear his friend.  There were about fifty people stuffed inside the room, chattering and eating and drinking.  Sirius had positioned two Gryffindor first years outside the portrait hole to let anyone on the compiled guest list inside.  The common room was decorated with Gryffindor flags that had a different player's face on it.  Curiously, there seemed to be many more "Sirius flags" than any of the other teammates.  Sirius had also taken the liberty of creating T-shirts that had a particular player's face on it, with their position written under it.  Their number was on the back as well. 

          "Sirius, these T-shirts are wicked!" Peter exclaimed.  He was wearing both James and Sirius T-shirts, one on top of the other. 

          "Thanks!" Sirius grinned, pouring himself another glass of firewhiskey.  There was a remarkable amount of snacks laid out on the tables, as well as goblets of firewhiskey and butterbeer.  There were a few Muggles there, invited by their Gryffindor siblings, some of whom merely stared at their surroundings in awe, while others explored the delightful taste of firewhiskey.  Sirius walked over to Remus, who was talking to his sister.    

          "Hey Sirius, great party!" Angela, Remus's sister, exclaimed.

          "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself!" Sirius shouted over the loud chattering.  He gave Remus a particularly threatening look.  Remus sighed and walked away, leaving Sirius and his sister alone.

          "You were really great today," Angela giggled, taking another sip of her butterbeer. 

          "Well, you _look_ really great today," Sirius said with a charming grin.  Angela laughed and took his hand, leading him over to an empty sofa.

          "Do you remember when you came to our house last summer?" she asked slyly. 

          "Why, yes, I do!" Sirius said pleasantly, "I believe we had a good snog?"  Angela giggled and pressed her hand against his chest.

          "Those were some good times," she said innocently.

          "Some _great_ times," Sirius nodded.  Angela ran her fingers through his dark hair, and leaned closer to him.

          "I missed you, Sirius," she whispered, her mint breath tickling his ear.

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          "I swear, James Potter invited me!" Petunia cried desperately.  The two Gryffindor first years smirked at her.

          "I'm _sure_ he did," one of them said sarcastically. 

          "I'm not joking!  I'm Lily Evans' sister!" Petunia said angrily.  The short boy with blond hair stared at her in disbelief.

          "No you're not!  You don't look anything like her!" he said rudely.

          "Yeah, Lily's pretty for one thing," the other boy snickered.  Petunia felt her face heat up, as angry tears stung her eyes.  She had been waiting here since the party had started, and neither James _nor_ Lily had shown up yet.

          "Listen, you little. . ." she stopped when the portrait hole swung open.  Remus looked at her in surprise.

          "Is there a problem?" he asked the two boys. 

          "This Muggle here claims to be Lily's sister," one of the boys said promptly.  Remus looked at Petunia, recognizing her as being with the Evans family.

          "She _is_ Lily's sister!  Let her in immediately!" he said, smiling at Petunia apologetically.  Petunia thanked Remus and gave the two boys a dirty look, before walking into the common room.  She gasped and froze at the sight in front of her.  It was by far the most amazing party she had ever been to.  For a moment, it felt like she was part of this world. . .it felt like she _belonged_ here.  Her eyes were immediately drawn to a girl wearing a scarlet and gold T-shirt with James's face on it, with the words "Seeker" written below.  Petunia's jaw dropped.  _'I should be wearing that shirt.  That is my shirt!'_ she thought to herself frantically.  To her dismay, many other girls were wearing that T-shirt as well.

          "I _want_ that shirt!" she cried, moving towards the girl threateningly.  Suddenly, she felt a hand on her arm.  She spun around to see Remus smiling down at her.

          "Sirius is selling those shirts for five two sickles each," he said.  (A/N: Is 2 sickles too expensive/cheap? Cuz I have no idea!)

          "Two _what_?" Petunia asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.  Remus laughed and shook his head.

          "Never mind, I'm sure he wouldn't mind me giving you one for free.  You're Lily's sister, after all," he said, reaching into a box on the table and pulling out a T-shirt.  Petunia started to wonder what being Lily's sister had to do with anything.  Perhaps Sirius fancied Lily or something like that.  But all her confusion faded away once she took the T-shirt into her hands.

          "You wanted James, right?" Remus asked.  Petunia looked at him in surprise.  Then she laughed as she realized he was talking about the shirt.  She nodded and pulled the shirt over her head.  Remus looked at her curiously before walking away.  Petunia walked over to the table where several boys were chatting and gulping down goblets of something.  She cautiously picked up a goblet and took a sip.  It was the most delightful thing she had ever tasted.  The small bubbles tickled her throat, and every sip seemed to make her feel like she was floating happily.  The goblet was empty before she knew it, so she was forced to pick up another one.  Before long, her spirits were lifted and she felt exceptionally happy.

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          Kailyn tore away from Bridget and Annabelle, and scanned the crowded common room.  She hadn't seen Sirius since the party had started.  She was starting to get quite annoyed at how easily she missed him.  It was rather pathetic, really. . .something she would expect from Bridget and Annabelle.  But Sirius had a crazy effect on her. . .he made her feel things she had never felt before.  She was slowly turning into one of those hopeless romantics, swooning over this one precious boy. 

          "This is getting out of hand," she muttered to herself.  Kailyn pushed through the crowds of people, her head starting to ache.  Everywhere she looked, she saw the faces of Sirius, James, herself, or the other team members grinning back at her from those stupid T-shirts.  She smiled as she remembered that she herself was wearing two of them – a Kailyn one and a Sirius one.  Kailyn stopped walking, her head beginning to spin.  She slowly turned around, her eyes immediately falling on Sirius.  Her heart slammed against her chest as she watched him snogging some girl with dark blond hair.  She wanted to tear her eyes away, but she couldn't.  She simply stood staring – watching how his hands roamed all over the girl's body, and how the girl's hands were lost in Sirius' hair. 

          "Kailyn, guess what. . ." Bridget began, coming up behind Kailyn.  She gasped when she saw Sirius and the other girl snogging like there was no tomorrow.  Bridget looked at Kailyn, who had tears welling up in her eyes.  She reached out her hand to touch Kailyn's shoulder, but Kailyn turned and ran out of the common room.  She ran all the way down the corridor, not really thinking about where she was going.  Her eyes were blurred with tears, and her thoughts were in a reckless rage.  She could not believe how stupid she had been to go and fall for such a womanizer.  She was even more stupid for believing that they had had something special. . .

          Kailyn stopped in front of the Head common room, and hastily wiped the tears away from her eyes.  She muttered the password Lily had once told her, and stepped inside.  She walked inside the dim room, glancing at the candles and decorations curiously.  There was romantic music playing in the background.  Kailyn suddenly spotted the two bodies moving on the sofa, and screamed in half shock and half embarrassment.  She heard a thud as someone fell to the floor.  Kailyn slowly turned around and saw James standing in front of the sofa, shirtless.  Lily was sitting up on the sofa, her long hair roused and messy, and her face wearing a startled expression.

          "I'm s. . .sorry," Kailyn stammered, quickly averting her eyes to the floor. 

          "No, its okay," Lily said quickly, pulling the strap of her dress back onto her shoulder.  James, on the other hand, shot Kailyn a furious glare.  Lily, seeing Kailyn's red and puffy eyes, walked over to her concernedly. 

          "What happened, Kails?" she asked, putting her arm around Kailyn's shoulders.  Kailyn slowly dropped onto the floor, burying her face in her arms. 

          "I've turned into a stupid girl," she sobbed.

          "What do you mean?" Lily asked, gently moving Kailyn's hair out of her face.  James pulled his shirt on and walked over to Kailyn, and crouched down beside her.

          "You've always been a stupid girl," he joked, tugging Kailyn's hair playfully.  Lily glared at him.

          "I went and fell for Sirius," Kailyn muttered.

          "I know, but why is that a bad thing?" Lily asked quietly.

          "I thought he really liked me," Kailyn said angrily.

          "He does really like you.  Trust me," James said.  Kailyn looked at him, her face red.

          "No, not really!  He just thought of me as another dumb girl to fool around with!" she shouted.

          "Why do you think that?" Lily frowned.

          "Because I just saw him snogging some other girl.  I mean, I know I wasn't his girlfriend, but. . .it still hurts," Kailyn whispered.  Lily wrapped her arms around Kailyn tightly, and stroked her hair. 

          "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she said sadly.  James stood up, looking rather taken back and uncomfortable.  He hated watching girls cry. 

          "Er, do you want me to have a word with him?" he offered lamely, wanting nothing more than to sprint out of the room.

          "NO!" Kailyn said loudly, suddenly standing up to face James, "Please don't say anything!"  She looked at him with pleading eyes.  James nodded.  He suddenly remembered all the times he and Sirius had joked about all the girls they had fooled around with. . .boasting about who had played more girls than the other.  This was the first time he was seeing the horrible effects of it.  He suddenly felt sickened thinking about the boy he had been not too long ago. 

          "I'll see you later," he said, awkwardly patting Kailyn on the shoulder.  He quickly turned and walked out of the room.  As he walked down the corridor towards the Gryffindor common room, he decided that he had to say something to Sirius.  Maybe not about Kailyn in particular, but he knew he had to say something.  Because suddenly his and Sirius's flirting adventures were not so funny anymore. 

          James stepped into the common room, an uncontrollable smile spreading onto his face.  Sirius had definitely gone all out with this party.  Suddenly, he felt someone drape her arm around his shoulder. 

          "Hey you," Petunia giggled into his ear.  James turned around in surprise and looked at Lily's sister.

          "Er, Petunia?" he said hesitantly.

          "I've been waiting for you," Petunia said slyly. 

          "Why?" James asked in confusion.  Petunia let out a shrill giggle and hugged James around the waist tightly. 

          "I couldn't wait to be alone with you!" she said, looking straight into his eyes.  Realization suddenly dawned upon James and he shook his head.

          "You've tasted firewhiskey for the first time, haven't you?" he laughed, "Brings back memories."  He led Petunia over to the sofa and gently sat her down.

          "Come sit next to me," Petunia slurred, patting the sofa. 

          "You're drunk, Petunia.  If you want, I can give you something to make you feel better," James offered.

          "Like what?" Petunia grinned slyly, her eyes looking James down. 

          "Oh my God," James muttered, fighting the temptation to laugh.  The girl was obviously wasted.  He knelt down beside her.  "So, how come you and Lily don't get along?"

          "I could ask you the same thing," Petunia drawled.  James smiled.

          "Well, she used to think I was a prat," he replied. 

          "That's because she's a wench!  She thinks _everyone_ is a prat.  But don't you worry, Jimmy, because _you_ are not a prat!" Petunia said dazedly, her head beginning to spin even more.  James raised his eyebrows.  Only his mother called him "Jimmy". 

          "Petunia. . ." James began.

          "Don't think of me the way you think of her," Petunia interrupted.  The last thing she wanted was for James to think of her as a bitch as well. 

          "Trust me, I don't," James smiled.  Petunia suddenly felt a warm sensation go through her body.  Finally her James was confessing his feelings for her!  Her mind suddenly seemed to be floating, and James's face was the last thing she saw before her head hit the sofa. 

**A/N: I don't know if this was written as well as I had hoped. . .but tell me what you guys think! I know Petunia keeps coming close to finding out the truth, sorry if its dragging on. . .but she _will_ find out very soon… maybe even next chapter! :) So review please!!** 


	17. The Truth Hurts

Chapter Seventeen:

Disclaimer: Just realized I never put a disclaimer in. I don't own anyone in this story… except maybe Lily's three best friends.

James awoke the next morning with a slight throbbing in his head. He groaned as he vaguely tried to remember how many goblets of firewhiskey he had drank last night. It was really all Lily's fault. If she had come to the party, he could have resumed snogging her instead of playing drinking games with his teammates. So, actually, it was Kailyn's fault. As mean as it sounded, if Kailyn hadn't come barging into the Head common room crying, James would never have had to stop snogging Lily in the first place, therefore never even having to _go_ to the stupid party. So the entire thing was totally Sirius's fault. If Sirius hadn't been his usual flirtatious self, Kailyn wouldn't have come crying, Lily wouldn't have spent the night comforting her friend, and James would've woken up with Lily in his arms, instead of with a throbbing headache. James shot an annoyed look at Sirius, who was hanging halfway off his bed, about to fall off. It was always Sirius's fault.

Just as James was about to hurl a pillow at his best friend's head, Remus walked into the room with a rather confused look on his face.

"You left Lily's sister on the couch last night, right?" Remus asked. James winced as he sat up in bed.

"Yeah, she was completely drunk. I couldn't get her to wake up, so I just left her there. I figured her parents wouldn't want to be wakened in the middle of the night by their drunk daughter," he said.

"Well, she's not there anymore," Remus said. James looked at him in surprise.

"Do you think she went back to the visitor wing?" he asked.

"Does she even know how to get there?" Remus asked. James shrugged, trying not to laugh at the image of Petunia wandering around Hogwarts with a hangover.

"What time is it?" he asked wearily, rubbing his eyes.

"Almost ten. You better get up and start getting ready. Today is Hogsmeade day," Remus replied, grabbing some clothes and walking into the bathroom. James sighed and threw his pillow over at Sirius. Sirius groaned and pulled his covers over his head.

"Padfoot, wake up. I need to talk to you," James said, turning to face Sirius.

"I don't want to talk," Sirius mumbled. James wrenched the covers off Sirius's face.

"We have to get ready to go to Hogsmeade," he said. Sirius's eyes snapped open.

"Do we? Excellent! I'm running out of dungbombs," he said contentedly. He sat up and rubbed his head. He was always better at dealing with hangovers than James was. Sirius looked at his best friend expectantly.

"Padfoot," James began awkwardly, "I think…I think it would be best…"

"Are you breaking up with me, Jamesie?" Sirius sobbed in a false high-pitched voice that caused Peter to stir in his sleep. James scowled as Sirius laughed.

"Padfoot, I don't think you should go around hooking up with every good looking girl you see anymore," James said seriously. Sirius eyed him with concern.

"Does this have to do with Lily refusing to sleep with you?" he asked sympathetically. James glared at him in outrage.

"No! And she isn't _refusing_ to sleep with me…she's just not ready yet!" James yelled in slight desperation.

"I understand that it can be rather frustrating," Sirius said solemnly, struggling to keep a straight face. James sighed wearily.

"This doesn't have to do with my sex life…"

"Lack of a sex life," Sirius corrected swiftly. James gave Sirius a dirty look.

"This is about you hurting girls," he continued, "I know we've had our fun in the past, Padfoot, we've had some really great times. We thought we were the coolest guys in school, getting any girl that we wanted. But now when I look back on some of that stuff…it's not funny. I don't know how many girls we've hurt in the past, but I think its time we stop. I mean, I know I'm already done playing games, because I've found the girl that I want to…" James paused, his face suddenly flushing.

"Marry? Spend the rest of your life with?" Sirius supplied. His eyes sparkled, "Make passionate love to?" James rolled his eyes.

"I knew you weren't capable of having serious conversations," he muttered. Sirius grinned.

"No, I understand what you're saying, Prongs. And I'm happy that you found that girl. But what does that have to do with me?" he said.

"I just want you to stop playing all these girls just for fun. I know you don't realize it, but you've caused a lot of girls a lot of pain." James said.

"Not true!" Sirius sang, wagging his finger, "I am proud to say that I am still friends with almost every girl I have ever dated-slash-hooked up with. Now _you_ on the other hand…"

"Kailyn was crying last night," James interrupted, "Because of you. Because she saw you snogging Angela." Sirius looked at the ground guiltily, his face paling a little.

"I didn't think…I'm so used to just doing things in the moment…" he trailed off uncomfortably.

"I know you care about her, Padfoot. So just think about what you really want, and then talk to her." James said, clapping Sirius on the shoulder before walking over to the closet. Sirius looked out of the window at the miles and miles of green grass stretched out before him.

_'What do I want?'_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"I really could get used to this!" Bridget remarked, stepping out of the luxurious bathroom in the Head common room. The four girls had spent the night talking in front of the fireplace, on a blanket spread out on the floor, stuffing themselves with the chocolate cake that Lily had baked for James.

"Did you try the chocolate flavored toothpaste?" Annabelle asked excitedly. Bridget wrinkled her nose.

"I had enough chocolate last night to last me a month," she retorted.

"Lily, go get ready! We haven't got all day!" Annabelle suddenly exclaimed.

"I would've been ready a long time ago if Bridget hadn't taken an hour in the bath," Lily laughed.

"I wanted to use all the different kinds of bubbles," Bridget grinned sheepishly.

"Should we wake Kailyn now?" Annabelle asked, glancing at her friend.

"Let her sleep, poor girl," Bridget murmured.

"Well, isn't she coming to Hogsmeade?" Annabelle asked. Lily knelt down beside Kailyn and shook her lightly.

"Kails?"

Kailyn opened her eyes and sat up sleepily. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were still tear-stained.

"Good morning, Kailyn," Bridget said, giving Kailyn a hug.

"Morning," Kailyn smiled.

"Are you, er, coming to Hogsmeade with us?" Annabelle asked tentatively.

"No," Kailyn said, shaking her head firmly. Bridget and Annabelle exchanged worried glances.

"Are you sure? It'll be fun!" Lily said cheerfully.

"Yeah, it'll be just us girls! Well, that is, if…" Bridget glanced at Lily.

"Of course it'll be just us girls!" Lily smiled.

"It really does sound fun, but I don't…I just don't want to see Sirius right now," Kailyn said quietly.

"You won't! Hogsmeade is a big village. We'll stay away from him at all times!" Annabelle said reassuringly. Kailyn smirked.

"Yeah, like James will be able to go the whole day without seeing Lily at least once. And if James comes, Sirius will come too," she said dryly.

"I'll tell James to stay away," Lily promised.

"Besides, your brother won't let you stay behind!" Bridget pointed out.

"Tell Grant that I'm not feeling well," Kailyn looked at her friends, "Please, just let me stay here. I'm really tired and I could use the rest." Lily nodded hesitantly.

"You can sleep in my bed if you want," she said quietly. Kailyn nodded and shuffled towards Lily's room.

"Boys are such _dogs_!" Annabelle sniffed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Great Hall was swarming with people rushing from one table to another, chattering excitedly about the trip to Hogsmeade. The Muggle parents and siblings were especially excited, and were listening eagerly to stories about the different shops and the Shrieking Shack. Lily expected her father to be among these eager listeners, and was surprised to see him sitting at a table, watching his wife yell at Petunia.

"We are _very_ disappointed in you! That is _no_ way to act when you are visiting your sister! Just because you don't want to be here doesn't give you the right to act up like this!" Mrs. Evans shrieked angrily. Lily cautiously sat down opposite her mother and sister. Petunia was slumped in her chair, her head between her hands.

"What's going on?" Lily asked. Mrs. Evans looked at her, her face red with anger.

"Your _sister_ went to that Quidditch party last night and got drunk!" she hissed, glaring at Petunia again. Lily stared at Petunia in surprise.

"You went to the Gryffindor party?" she asked. Petunia looked up.

"Yes. James invited me," she said smugly, before slamming her head down on the table. Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Did he?" she said, looking at James, who was seated at the opposite end of the table. James saw her and waved. "I'll be right back," she announced, getting up and striding over to where James was sitting. She pulled him out of his chair and dragged him into a corner.

"Continuing last night, are we?" James grinned slyly, leaning in to kiss her. Lily ducked out of the way, and then faced her boyfriend again.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" she demanded.

"Er, kiss you?" James said in confusion. Lily sighed impatiently.

"I mean by inviting Petunia to the Gryffindor party and getting her drunk!"

"Hey, I didn't get her drunk!"

"Well why'd you invite her?"

"Because you're always saying that you and her don't get along, so I thought this might give you a chance to have some fun together…to share a fun experience!"

Lily looked at James and shook her head slowly.

"James, you don't understand what she's like. She hates everything about magic. We live in two different worlds. She doesn't think they could ever be mixed together. I'm surprised that she didn't create some big scene at the party. If I was there, I'm sure she would've insulted me…or my friends… or you. I have tried so many times to get her to accept who I am, but she won't. And every time I try, she starts to hate me even more. She barely even talks to me anymore." James looked appalled as tears started flowing down Lily's face. He quickly wiped them away with his thumb, and tilted her chin upwards.

"I'm sorry if I made it worse. But I really think a part of her wishes she could experience all this. I thought that maybe if she got the chance to feel like she was a part of it, even if it was just for one night…maybe she would try to understand you. But if you think I'm wrong, then I'm sorry, and I won't ever intervene again." James kissed the top of Lily's head and hugged her.

"She seems to like you, though," Lily frowned, resting her head on James's shoulder.

"Most people do like me," James laughed, "It was only you who took three years to come around."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She's avoiding me," Sirius said darkly, slumping into a chair at The Three Broomsticks.

"Well you did break her heart," Peter said, stuffing two Chocolate Frogs into his mouth. Sirius glared at him, twirling his wand in his fingers. Peter whimpered every time the tip of the wand was pointed in his direction.

"Maybe she's just spending time with her family and we didn't see her," Remus suggested.

"Maybe she didn't come," James said. Sirius whipped his head towards his best friend.

"What do you mean, she didn't _come_? Don't be daft, Prongs, she wouldn't skip a trip to Hogsmeade just on my account!" he said. James shrugged as Madam Rosmerta came to the table to take their orders.

"What'll it be, boys?" Madam Rosmerta asked fondly.

"Two bottles of firewhiskey," Sirius muttered.

"Four butterbeers it is!" Madam Rosmerta chirped, slapping Sirius lightly on the head as she left.

"What's taking the parents so long?" Remus wondered aloud, glancing at Gladrags clothing shop out of the window.

"Mrs. Potter is buying Prongs a new pair of knickers," Sirius said moodily. James rolled his eyes.

"Does saying that really make you feel better, Padfoot?"

"A little," Sirius grinned.

"Here they come!" Peter announced, as the front door swung open. The Lupins, Pettigrews, and Potters bustled towards the boys' table, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Evans.

"Look who we've invited to lunch!" Mrs. Potter sang, clutching Mrs. Evans' arm.

"James, you played wonderfully in yesterday's match!" Mrs. Evans beamed.

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans," James said. He looked at Mr. Evans, who seemed torn between smiling and frowning.

"Yes…well done," Mr. Evans finally said stiffly. James smiled politely before glaring at Sirius, who was covering up his laughter with a false cough. James wanted desperately to ask where Lily was, but he was afraid Mr. Evans would have a fit.

"Where's Angela?" Remus asked his mother.

"Oh, she's still shopping at Gladrags," Mrs. Lupin replied. She glanced curiously at Sirius, who had just let out a sigh of relief.

"Cheers," Sirius muttered, raising his goblet.

After lunch, James took Mrs. Evans aside while Mr. Evans was busy talking to the other fathers.

"I suppose you want to know where Lily is?" Mrs. Evans said kindly, her eyes twinkling.

"Well, that's one thing I wanted to ask," James said sheepishly.

"She's gone shopping with Bridget and Annabelle…she told me that you hate shopping," Mrs. Evans smiled.

"Yeah, I do," James laughed.

"She thought you would probably be busy with your parents anyway. I think she's spending the day with the girls," Mrs. Evans said. James nodded.

"It's alright. Could you do me a favor and tell her to meet me by the lake after she gets back? Say at around seven?" he requested.

"Of course I will, dear," Mrs. Evans said warmly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Petunia put down her fork and looked around the almost empty Great Hall. This had definitely been the most boring day of her life. Her darling parents had decided to punish her for getting drunk and "acting up", and so had left her behind while they went frolicking around that village with a weird name. She had spent the entire day in their room, except for when she got hungry. She tried walking around the castle, but she kept getting lost, and nearly fainted when a ghost threw an apple at her. She still was not sure if that had been a hallucination or not.

Petunia walked out of the Great Hall and carefully walked up the staircases, clutching the banister for dear life. It had almost thrown her off last time. Her family should have gotten back by now. It was starting to get dark outside. She got off at the visitor wing (something that had taken her the whole day to learn) and walked towards her family's room. She stepped inside and saw shopping bags sprawled all over the beds, but her parents and sister were no where in sight. Petunia heard the shower running in the bathroom. She stepped up to the door and knocked.

"Mum?" she called. She knocked louder.

"I can't hear you!" Mrs. Evans called from inside the bathroom.

"Mum, it's me!" Petunia yelled.

"I still can't hear you too well, honey. But before I forget, James wants you to meet him by the lake at seven!" Mrs. Evans shouted over the running water. Petunia's eyes widened as she fell onto one of the beds. She gripped the edge of the bed hard, as she gasped for air. Her James was finally going to confess his feelings for her. He would take her hands in his...they would be bathed in the moonlight, with their reflections glittering in the lake. And then…he would lean forward and kiss her – a soft, gentle kiss. She would run her fingers through his messy hair…

Petunia grabbed her mother's watch from the bedside table and glanced at it. It was a quarter to seven! She quickly brushed her hair and dabbed some lipstick on her mouth. Then she grabbed her coat and ran out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you're alright now, Daddy?" Lily asked worriedly, as she took her father back upstairs to their room. Mr. Evans touched the side of his face happily.

"It's amazing, really! How fast the school nurse healed my wound! Magic is simply amazing!" he exclaimed. Mr. Evans had gotten a bit too excited at Zonko's Joke Shop, and it had resulted in a pack of Exploding Biscuits exploding in his face. Luckily no real damage was done except for a small gash on his face. But Madam Pomfrey was able to fix it right up.

Lily followed her father into their room, where her mother was applying lotion onto her legs.

"Lily? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Evans suddenly asked, looking at Lily in confusion.

"What do you mean, Mum? I just took Daddy to the nurse," Lily said, in an equal amount of confusion.

"Yes, but you came back about ten minutes ago, and I told you that James wants to meet you by the lake at seven!" Mrs. Evans said. Mr. Evan's head snapped up and he looked at his wife disapprovingly.

"Mum, I was down at the nurse ten minutes ago," Lily said slowly. A look of realization suddenly dawned on Mrs. Evan's face.

"Oh dear," she laughed, "It must have been Petunia. I thought it was you. Well, never mind! You better get going now, it's almost seven!" She smiled at her daughter, ignoring her husband's glares. Lily nodded and ran out of the room.

"_Really_," Mr. Evans huffed, storming into the bathroom.

"Oh come off it, Charles!" Mrs. Evans giggled, as Mr. Evans slammed the door behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Petunia glanced wildly around her, feeling slightly dizzy at the sight of so much grass and darkness. She had no idea where she was.

"Damn it!" she shouted in frustration. She was already late for her meeting with James. Knowing that she would soon see James was the only thing that was keeping her from being scared to death. It felt like she was lost in the middle of a forest. Suddenly she caught sight of the moonlight glittering on the ground. She ran towards it, tripping over a large rock on the way. She fell and slid down a small slope, stopping when her nose was about two inches away from water. A smile crept onto her face, as she touched the water with her finger. She had found the lake at last. Petunia lifted her eyes and peered across the lake. She felt her heart slam against her chest, and could hear it pounding loudly in her ears. There, bathed in the moonlight, was James…and Lily. He had her hands in his, and he was kissing her – a soft, gentle kiss. She was running her fingers through his messy hair…

Petunia's blood-curling scream cut through the peaceful silence like a knife.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: I am soooo sorry for not updating in so long! I started the chapter, and then every time I sat down to update I just couldn't stop thinking that this story is so horrible…and I would find a thousand things wrong with it. I probably left out half the things I wanted to write in this chapter, but I don't care…I'm just glad I finally finished it. Sorry if I disappointed anyone. I think I'll be going up to 20 chapters for this story…maybe a few more. I really will try to update faster, and write the next chapter soon. You know what helps motivate me? Reviews! :) Thanks sooo much to the people who review… not only does it make my day, but it really encourages me to write and helps me improve. Thanks especially to oliverwoodschic – it was seeing her third review for Chapter 16 that made me force myself to sit down and finish this chapter today! lol so hope u liked the chapter… please review!!

By the way, I just wanted to say that i'm taking out the small Vernon storyline that was in two of the earlier chapters. I guess it really wouldn't make sense at all. I'm pretty sure no one will have any objections! :)

Bananas


	18. Boys and Girls

**Chapter Eighteen:**

**A/N: I don't mean to complain, but I didn't get very many reviews last chapter and it made me very sad! :( lol pleeeease review…I'll love u forever!**

James and Lily sprang apart and glanced across the lake worriedly. Lily gasped when she saw her sister shaking on the ground.

"Petunia?" she shouted, her voice echoing loudly in the dark woods. Petunia suddenly jumped up and stumbled backwards, before turning and running into the darkness. Lily started to run forward, but stopped when icy water flooded her ankles.

"Come on," James said briskly, taking Lily's hand and running deeper into the woods.

"She's going to get lost!" Lily gasped, nearly tripping over a log.

"We'll find her," James said reassuringly. They were finally on the other side of the big lake, but Petunia was nowhere to be seen. James and Lily ran along the path Petunia had disappeared into, surrounded by darkness. Lily tightened her grip on James's hand as looming branches scraped against her cheeks and shoulders.

"I can't run anymore!" Lily cried, gasping for air as she sank onto the moist ground. A sudden look of realization dawned over James's face. He yanked the Marauder's Map out of his pocket and peered at it closely. Just as he looked at Lily with wide eyes, they heard a loud scream from up ahead.

"Whomping Willow," James said hoarsely, pulling Lily to her feet before sprinting towards the deadly tree. After running close to half a mile, James abruptly stopped causing Lily to crash into him. Lily followed James's gaze to Petunia's limp body sprawled on the ground. The heavy branches of the willow continued to move violently while Petunia moaned and whimpered helplessly. A strangled sob escaped from Lily's throat before she moved forward to help her sister. James yanked her back right before a branch came crashing down to where her head had been.

"James, help her!" Lily sobbed, clutching James's arm. James gently freed his arm from Lily's grasp and ran over to Petunia.

"Come on, sweetheart," he whispered, bending down to pick up Petunia. He heard Lily scream his name, and turned around to see a heavy branch hurl into him, knocking him flat onto the ground. James groaned and slowly sat up, clutching his stomach in pain. He turned to Petunia and quickly scooped her into his arms before standing and running to where Lily stood.

James slowly lowered Petunia onto the ground. Lily knelt down beside her sister, tears streaming down her cheeks. Petunia's face was covered with bleeding scratches, and her clothes were ripped everywhere. Her brown hair was matted against the blood on her forehead and a dark bruise was beginning to form on her jaw. Lily reached out to touch Petunia's face, when Petunia's eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Don't touch me!" Petunia hissed vehemently, edging away. Lily looked at her in shock.

"Petunia," she began.

"You're a freak!" Petunia spat viciously. Her eyes burned as she looked at James, "You're _both_ freaks!"

"You need to go to the hospital wing," James said gently, stepping towards her.

"Stay away, you freak!" Petunia screamed. James stared at her silently before looking at Lily.

"Petunia, you're hurt," Lily whispered, her voice quivering. Petunia's brown eyes were icy and hateful as she glared at James and Lily.

"I hope you both burn in Hell," she said coldly, before passing out on the ground. Lily buried her face in her arms and began sobbing loudly. James took her hand and pulled her up into a tight hug. Then he picked up Petunia and walked with Lily back to the castle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

James was stuck with patrolling the corridors by himself. Again. He had left Lily at the hospital wing with her parents, where Madam Pomfrey had promised to fix up Petunia in no time.

James was now unbelievably bored and still in pain – a horrible combination. He still had no idea why in the name of Merlin Petunia had to wander out into the forest by herself. And that look she had given him was chilling. This was a major issue James had with girls. They could be flirting with you one day and sending you death glares the next.

James suddenly spotted a chubby young boy waddling down the other end of the corridor. James lazily raised his wand and muttered, "Petrificus Totalus". The boy turned rigid as cardboard and fell backwards onto the floor. James's laughter echoed loudly in the corridor. It had been _so_ long since he had hexed someone.

"I don't think Lily would find that quite as funny," a voice behind James said. James spun around to find Sirius wearing his usual grin.

"It's after hours, Padfoot," James said with mock authority. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I'm best friends with the Head Boy," he said nonchalantly. James laughed and looked at the frozen boy on the floor.

"I was bored," he shrugged.

"Ah, he'll be okay," Sirius said dismissively.

"So what are you doing here?" James asked as they continued walking down the corridor. Sirius shrugged.

"Moony and Wormtail were studying, so I decided to come keep you company," he replied.

"Thanks mate," James smiled.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Kailyn," Sirius said. James groaned.

"Moony wouldn't listen?" he guessed.

"Not for long, no," Sirius said, "I've got _awful_ friends."

"Look Padfoot, she obviously wants more than a few good shags," James began.

"There haven't been _any_ shags, let alone good ones!" Sirius interrupted. James quickly glanced around in embarrassment.

"Well, that's a surprise. But fine, she wants more than a few good _snogs_. But _you_ usually don't want more than that. So you have to decide whether you are willing to, I dunno, have a relationship with her," he said.

"I've had a few relationships, Prongs!" Sirius said defensively.

"Right. I forgot about you and that blond woman you met at The Three Broomsticks." James said sarcastically.

"What about Elizabeth Martin? _Two_ months, thank you very much!" Sirius practically shouted. James smiled.

"Why'd you two break up? Oh, that's right. She found out you were cheating on her," he said in amusement. Sirius's face fell.

"Oh, oh! How about Kelly…er, Kelly…you know, the one with brown curly hair," he said.

"Yes, I remember, Padfoot. _I_ also happen to remember her last name." James laughed. Sirius frowned, his forehead scrunched in concentration as he followed James down the corridor.

"Hawthorne!" Sirius yelled triumphantly after a few moments. James laughed and shook his head.

"You must have been really into her," he said sarcastically. Sirius let out a fake, dry laugh.

"So Prongs, shagged Lily yet?" he asked sweetly. James turned red.

"Bastard," he muttered, starting to walk faster to get away from Sirius's ringing laughter. He suddenly paused outside a room when a glittering object caught his eye. He stepped inside the empty room and glanced around. It was the room he had seen Snape and Malfoy in a few days ago.

"Prongs?" Sirius remarked, popping his head into the room. James walked over to the small table in the middle of the room and peered closely at the gold goblet sitting on top of it. It looked exactly like the school goblets. Then James noticed a long piece of parchment lying next to it. There was a bunch of names written on it. James's eyes were immediately drawn to Lily's name. Bridget's name was a few names under Lily's. James scanned down to the P's, but did not see his name there. He did see Peter's name, though, and Remus's as well. James frowned and scanned the list again. He knew many of the people on there.

"What the hell is this?" he remarked, showing Sirius the parchment. Sirius glanced at it.

"A roster," he replied. James glared at him.

"For _what_?" he shouted.

"Dunno," Sirius shrugged, "What's the big deal, Prongs?"

"Lily's name is on it, and so is Peter's and Remus's. But mine or yours isn't. Bridget is on it, but Annabelle and Kailyn aren't. What could this possibly be for?" James frowned.

"Hardly any of the Slytherins are on it," Sirius observed. James studied the names again, trying to make some sort of connection between them.

"Snape and Malfoy were working on something in this room a few days ago," he said quietly, "They said they were studying."

"You think they made this list?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know," James said wearily.

"Well, it would explain the horrible handwriting and grease smudges on the parchment," Sirius grinned. James laughed.

"The only list I can think of them making is some kind of hit list, like with all the Mug…" James suddenly trailed off and grabbed the parchment from Sirius's hands. He read every name on the list.

"It's a hit list?" Sirius asked in amazement. James's face paled.

"I think everyone on this list is Muggle born. Or at least halfblood," he said softly. Sirius looked at him with wide eyes.

"Well, it's not like they can do anything," he said reassuringly.

"I think I should show this to Dumbledore," James said.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't think its going to be a problem, Prongs," Sirius said skeptically. James set the parchment down on the table and ran his hand through his hair.

"I don't know," he said hesitantly.

"_Accio__!"_ a loud voice suddenly boomed from the doorway. James looked up to see Malfoy standing there, with a piece of parchment flying towards him. James whipped his head towards the table where the parchment had been.

"Malfoy," he snarled, "Give it back."

"Why? It's not yours," Malfoy smirked.

"Is it yours?" James demanded.

"Maybe," Malfoy said nonchalantly. James advanced towards him threateningly. Malfoy quickly stuffed the parchment into his pocket.

"If it's not yours, I have every right to take it to Dumbledore," James said.

"Well, it's mine. So keep your big head out of my business," Malfoy snapped.

"As Head Boy it is my job to report suspicious things to the Headmaster," James said through gritted teeth.

"Along with shagging the mudblood Head Girl?" Malfoy leered. A deep growl escaped from the back of James's throat as he lunged himself at Malfoy. Sirius grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Come on Prongs, let it go," Sirius muttered. Malfoy smoothed out the front of his robes and shot a deep look of loathing at James before walking over to the table and grabbing the gold goblet. James caught a glimpse of a small picture of a snake engraved on the front of it as Malfoy carried it past him.

"I don't think the _Headmaster_ would be concerned with our work," Malfoy said innocently, flashing James and Sirius a wicked smile before dashing out of the room.

"Bloody bastard," Sirius muttered, making a violent hand gesture.

"The goblets we drink out of…they don't have the House symbols on them, do they?" James asked vaguely. Sirius frowned.

"No, I don't think so. No, I'm pretty sure they don't," he replied.

"That goblet had a snake on it," James said.

"They're probably trying to design special Slytherin apparel," Sirius laughed bitterly. He glanced at James. "You okay, Prongs? I mean, you're taking this way too seriously."

"I just have a bad feeling," James said darkly.

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Lily trudged towards the common room, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She kept her gaze fixed on the floor and was trying hard to stop sniffling. She was still in complete shock from what Petunia had said to her in the forest. Out of all the hateful things her sister had ever said to her, this had been the worst. And that look Petunia had given her…it had been pure hatred.

Lily mumbled the password to the Fat Lad and stepped into the empty common room. She walked over to the sofa, surprised to find Remus sitting on the floor in front of the fire.

"Remus?" Lily said softly, crouching down beside him. Remus snapped out of his daze with a start and looked at Lily.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing, I'll be fine," Lily sniffed.

"You didn't fight with James, did you?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow. Lily shook her head.

"It's my sister. She said some horrible things to me…and to James," she trembled. Remus sighed and gave Lily a hug.

"Don't listen to a word she says," he said, stroking Lily's hair.

"She hates me so much!" Lily sobbed, burying her face into Remus's shirt.

"She doesn't really hate you. You can't be hated," Remus said kindly. Lily looked down at her hands.

"I actually thought she was starting to come around. I thought she didn't have a problem with James. But I was wrong. All this family visit did was make her hate our world even more!" she said quietly. Remus frowned.

"She _did_ look like she was having fun…at the Gryffindor party. And I thought she liked James too…she wanted one of his shirts. I thought she was proud that he was her sister's boyfriend," he said.

"I don't know, I'm so confused. She never understood me, and I guess I don't understand her." Lily said. Remus looked at her.

"Lily, you have so many people who care about you. Your parents, your friends. Me, Sirius, Peter…_James_," he said. Lily smiled.

"Sometimes being with James scares me," she laughed softly. Remus looked at her in surprise.

"Why?" he asked. Lily sighed and gazed into the fireplace.

"I've only been with him for, what, a month and a half? But I feel like…I think I'm in love with him. I can't even see my future without him in it," she whispered, her face reddening slightly. Remus smiled and patted her hand.

"You've been _dating_ him for a month and a half. But you've been with him much longer," he said. Lily met his gaze, tears filling her eyes.

"I'm being so stupid! I'm like one of those helpless idiots on soap operas!" she muttered.

"No you're not," Remus laughed, "And I know James would die to hear you say those things."

"Don't tell him what I said!" Lily said sharply.

"I would never. That's the kind of thing he should hear straight from you." Remus said solemnly. Lily smiled and studied Remus's tired face.

"What were you doing here by yourself, anyway?" she asked, glancing at the unopened book beside him.

"Just thinking," Remus shrugged.

"You looked sort of confused," Lily said, "It isn't a girl, is it?" Remus laughed.

"The last time I let a girl get too close, she almost found out…about me. I'm never risking that again," he said bitterly. Lily's eyes widened.

"What do you mean 'never'?" she demanded, "You are smart, funny, handsome, and the nicest guy I know! Any girl would be lucky to have you!"

"Not once you add 'werewolf' to that description," Remus replied dryly.

"Remus, your three best friends don't care about that, do they? I don't care about that. So obviously when another girl who cares about you finds out, she won't care either!" Lily exclaimed.

"Maybe," Remus sighed, "But it doesn't bother me much right now."

"So what _is_ bothering you right now?" Lily asked gently. Remus looked at her.

"You know James and Sirius want to be Aurors, right?" he asked. Lily nodded. "Well, Peter will probably follow them into it too. But me…lets just say it's not going to be easy for me to find something to do out there."

"What do you mean?" Lily frowned.

"Think about it. What job is going to let me leave for a few days every month? And once they find out what I am, what job is going to let me stay?" Remus asked.

"I'm sure people will overlook that," Lily said earnestly, "Surely they'll understand…"

"The world isn't full of Dumbledores, Lily," Remus interrupted quietly. Lily looked down at the floor uncomfortably.

"Your friends will always be behind you," she said. Remus smiled at her weakly.

"Thank you," he said. He glanced at the big clock on the wall. "I think I'm going to head on to bed." Lily nodded and stood up with him. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"You're a great guy, Remus," she said kindly.

"Goodnight, Lily," Remus smiled. Lily smiled back before walking towards the portrait hole. Once she was outside the common room she walked down the corridors until she was in front of the Head dorm portrait.

"Sexiest couple in school," Lily said, rolling her eyes at the password James had decided on. Lily walked across the common area and knocked on James's bedroom door before peeking inside. James was lying on his back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling intently. He did not even noticed Lily until she sat next to him on the bed.

"Hey," James said, sitting up and giving Lily a kiss, "How's your sister?"  
"She'll be fine by tomorrow," Lily replied. James nodded.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I've been better," Lily shrugged, "How about you? You look…strange."

"I found something…I don't know what it is or what it's for. Sirius doesn't think it's a big deal, but…I don't know. I just…I don't know," James mumbled.

"Why don't you ask Dumbledore about it?" Lily suggested. James rubbed his eyes wearily.

"Yeah, I think I will," he said, starting to stand up. Lily put her hand on his wrist.

"James, its eleven-thirty. Tell him tomorrow morning," she said.

"Oh. Right." James said, sinking back onto his bed.

"Are you sleeping here tonight?" Lily asked in surprise. Neither James nor she hardly ever slept in their private bedrooms. After spending six years with roommates, it was hard to leave them.

"Yes," James nodded, stifling a yawn.

"Goodnight, love," Lily smiled, taking James's glasses off and kissing his forehead. She placed his glasses on the bedside table and switched off the lamp.

"Sleep tight, Lils," James said, letting his worries drift away as he watched Lily glide out of his room.

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Remus stepped into the bathroom the next morning, immediately suffocated by hot mist and cologne. He waved the smell away and squinted to see Sirius standing in front of the mirror.

"What the bloody hell have you done?" Remus asked irritably.

"How do I look, Moony?" Sirius asked, turning to face Remus.

"Like a bleedin' carcass," Remus muttered, "Now tell me where you're going this early in the morning."

"I have to go talk to Kailyn," Sirius replied, adjusting his tie in front of the mirror.

"Planning on intoxicating her?" Remus joked dryly, picking up Sirius's bottle of cologne. Sirius snatched the bottle away from his friend and made a face.

"This stuff was expensive!" he huffed, storming out of the bathroom. Sirius looked himself over once more in the long mirror and headed downstairs into the common room. He walked over to Bridget and Annabelle, who took one look at him and began to giggle.

"Ladies," he said charmingly.

"Hullo, Sirius," Bridget chirped shyly.

"Do you know where I might find Kailyn?" Sirius asked.

"Er," Bridget began hesitantly, biting her lip as she glanced at Annabelle.

"Look Sirius, you might want to leave her alone for a bit. At least until she cools down," Annabelle said quietly.

"I like my plan better," Sirius murmured, watching Kailyn jog down the stairs. Their eyes met briefly when she reached the bottom. Sirius smiled and walked towards her. Kailyn turned to run back upstairs, but Sirius darted forward and caught her wrist.

"What do you want?" she asked nonchalantly.

"I need to talk to you to," Sirius replied. Kailyn tried not to look at his handsome face, and really wished that feeling in her stomach would go away.

"I was actually on my way to meet my brother," she said.

"This will only take a minute," Sirius said, his hand still wrapped around her wrist. Kailyn sighed and followed him over to the sofa.

"Make it quick, Sirius," Kailyn said impatiently. Sirius looked at the floor awkwardly.

"I…well…firstly, I want to apologize," he stammered.

"For what?" Kailyn asked sharply. Sirius met her intense gaze.

"For…hurting you," he said quietly. Kailyn glared at him suspiciously.

"Did James talk to you?" she demanded.

"Er…no," Sirius said hesitantly. Kailyn continued to look at him skeptically. "Anyway, I thought I should explain why I did what I did."

"You don't owe me anything, Sirius. Just like I don't owe you anything. I mean, its not like we were dating," Kailyn said bitterly.

"But we kind of were!" Sirius blurted out.

"Funny, I wasn't informed," Kailyn said dryly.

"What I mean is, I like you. A lot. I liked being around you a lot. And to me, it felt like we were dating because it was so different from what I usually have with girls!" Sirius exclaimed.

"It _was_ different. You didn't shag me, remember?" Kailyn said coldly. Sirius looked down.

"It was more than that, Kails. You know I care about you. I liked having you around to talk to. I enjoyed every minute I spent with you," he said quietly.

"So what are you trying to say, Sirius?" Kailyn asked. Sirius looked at her.

"I…I like you more than I've ever liked any girl before. I wasn't seeing anyone else while I was…well, _seeing_ you. Until Angela came…" he trailed off uncomfortably.

"You know what, I don't need to hear this," Kailyn said, starting to stand up.

"No, Kailyn, wait. I wasn't thinking…I didn't think about how you would feel because I'm not used to thinking about what anyone else feels when it comes to girls. That's just what I'm used to. I know its horrible, and I want to change, but…its not that easy. Sometimes I look at James and Lily and…and I _want_ that. But other times…other times I like being _me_. I like flirting with any girl I feel like flirting with, and I like not knowing what I'm going to do next, or who I'm going to do it with. So, really, I have no idea what I really want. And you…I know you want more. You _deserve_ more. You deserve a boyfriend who will keep you in the center of his world." Sirius looked at Kailyn, alarmed to see tears filling in her eyes.

"I wanted _you_," she whispered, "I didn't need anyone else. But I guess it wasn't enough for you." Sirius grabbed Kailyn's hands in his.

"I thought it was enough for me. But apparently, I have no self-control. And…I don't know. Like I said before, I'm so used to doing things a certain way. I want to be with you…_badly_. But the last thing I want to do is hurt you. And…right now, I can't promise you that I won't," he said sadly. Kailyn pulled one of her hands out of Sirius's and quickly wiped it across her eyes.

"I understand," she said, "Really, I do. Just…give me some time and I'll get over it." Kailyn stood up and gave Sirius a weak smile.

"Kailyn…" Sirius began.

"No, I mean it. I'll be okay," Kailyn said reassuringly.

"So, what's going to happen to us now?" Sirius asked. Kailyn flashed him a look of annoyance.

"I really haven't thought that far yet. I said I need some time to get over it…to get over _you_," she replied.

"But I don't want you to get over me!" Sirius said quickly. Kailyn stared at him.

"Well that's too bloody bad!" she shouted, before turning and running up the girls' staircase. Sirius slumped back into the sofa, throwing his hands up in despair.

"You really are a git," Remus said, coming towards his friend.

"See, _this_ is why I don't do relationships," Sirius muttered. Remus sank into the chair across from Sirius.

"I assume you're going stag to the ball?" he asked. Sirius closed his eyes and groaned.

"I forgot all about the bloody ball!" he exclaimed.

"Well, that's a first," Remus observed.

"I should have asked Kailyn!" Sirius cried. Remus gave a short laugh.

"I'm _sure_ she would have been delighted," he said sarcastically. Sirius glared at him.

"Who are _you_ taking, then?" he said challengingly.

"No one," Remus shrugged, "I usually don't." Sirius scowled at the floor.

"Maybe I'll ask Angela," he said. Remus sighed.

"Now that's a _brilliant_ way to get Kailyn to forgive you!" he said dryly. Sirius jumped to his feet angrily.

"Hey, I _apologized_ to her! And if me not being able to have a steady relationship makes her want to throw everything we have away, she can go to Hell!" he shouted. He picked up a quill lying on the table and flung it across the room, before storming up the boys' staircase. Remus flinched as he heard their dormitory door close with a loud slam.

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**Bits of scenes from next chapter (the Halloween ball):**

_"Will you go to the ball with me?" Bridget and Annabelle shrieked at the same time._

_"Our Head Boy and Girl will lead the first dance!" _

_"I…I love you," _

_Sirius tapped Kailyn on the shoulder, ignoring the furious glares he received from Rich Davies. _

_"You look like you could use a little fun," she breathed, before pulling Remus's face down to meet hers._

_Lily kept her eyes fixed on James's as he slowly, achingly slowly, pulled the zipper down the back of her dress. _

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**A/N: Now that you've read, please review and tell me what you think, or anything at all! Or else I'll feel like a loser who writes things for absolutely no reason. So reeeeeeeview! lol and sorry this took so long… school wastes _so_ much of my time!**


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